Europe Россия Внешние малые острова США Китай Объединённые Арабские Эмираты Корея Индия

Rep. Ilhan Omar's daughter Isra Hirsi, 21, says she is now homeless and starving after being suspended from college over anti-Israel protests at Columbia University which saw her zip-tied for seven hours

7 months ago 45

Isra Hirsi, the daughter of left-wing Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, says that she's got nowhere to live or eat after being suspended for participating in anti-Israel protests at Columbia University.

Hirsi, 21, was part of a a now days-long protest in support of Palestine that has drawn heavy condemnation from both sides of the political spectrum, including the White House.

She and two of her Barnard College classmates are among the more than 100 protestors have been arrested, an NYPD spokesperson confirmed to DailyMail.com

Hirsi was then suspended from along with two classmates - junior Soph Askanase, and freshman Maryam Iqbal - and has now been evicted from campus housing and banned from the dining hall, leaving her without shelter and food.

'I was a little bit frantic, like, where am I going to sleep? Where am I gonna go? And also all of my s**t is thrown in a random lot. It's pretty horrible,' she said. 

Isra Hirsi, the daughter of left-wing Congresswoman Ilhan Omar , says that she's got nowhere to live or eat after being suspended for participating in anti-Israel protests at Columbia University 

The daughter of the staunch Democrat had already been suspended by her university, Barnard College, earlier for joining the protest on the Upper West Side.

'I don't know when I can go home, and I don't know if I ever will be able to.' 

She said the administration has hung her out to dry when it comes to being able to get food. 

'I sent them an email like, 'Hey, I rely on campus for my meals, I rely on my dining plan,' and they were like, Oh, you can come pick up a prepackaged bag of food, a full 48 hours after I was suspended,' she told Teen Vogue

'There was no food support, no nothing.'

Hirsi, 21, pulled a worried face as she was seen being handcuffed alongside many other sit-in pro-Palestine protesters, who were issued with summonses for trespassing. 

She recounted being taken to 1 Police Plaza in Manhattan, where she was stuck for hours. 

'We had so many people who were born female in our group that they didn't have enough space for us. It was a very slow process in getting everybody into the cells,' Hirsi said.

Hirsi (pictured right with her mother), 21, was part of a a now days-long protest in support of Palestine that has drawn heavy condemnation from both sides of the political spectrum, including the White House

Hirsi was then suspended from along with two classmates - junior Soph Askanase, and freshman Maryam Iqbal - and has now been evicted from campus housing and banned from the dining hall, leaving her without shelter and food

'I was zip-tied for about seven hours and wasn't released for about eight,' adding that she didn't get out until a total of 13 hours after her arrest.

Hirsi saved her harshest words, however, for Laura Rosenbury, the president of Barnard, who she believes overreacted.

'I think it's really on a school-by-school basis, and Barnard has decided to take a very egregious stand against us,' Hirsi said. 

She said that Rosenbury and Barnard leadership ' feel like there isn't a big limelight on them right now and that they have the ability to do this, because [Columbia President Minouche] Shafik was on the congressional stage and is actively being harassed about what she's doing.'

Multiple lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have said that Shafik should resign, including Democrat Senator John Fetterman

Hirsi said that most of the students at Barnard are 'femme-identifying' and being warned that if they leave their dorms, they won't be allowed back in. 

She says she will remain homeless at least until she's given a hearing date from the school on Monday at noon.

What she hopes is that the focus will be taken away from college campuses and return to the plight of people in Gaza, whom she says Columbia have 'complicity in genocide' of. 

Hirsi saved her harshest words, however, for Laura Rosenbury (pictured), the president of Barnard, who she believes overreacted

Busloads of protesters were marched off as students hurled abuse at NYPD officers 

'A lot of us are grateful that people are paying attention and noticing how severe our campus repression has been, but it has been a little bit frustrating to focus on Columbia over the focus of what is even happening in Gaza,' she said.

'We're holding it down, but we're holding it down for Gaza, not just because of the folks that have been suspended; and the repression is explicitly because of the fact that we were fighting for ending the war in Gaza,' she added.

Omar, for her part, praised her daughter in a post on social media following her arrest.

'I am enormously proud of my daughter. She has always led with courage and compassion, from organizing a statewide school walk out on the 20th anniversary of Columbine at the age of 15, to leading the biggest youth climate rally at our nation’s Capitol at 16, and now pushing her school to stand against genocide.'

The White House joined a chorus of people across the political spectrum in slamming pro-Palestine protesters at Columbia University over anti-Semitic rhetoric at demonstrations on campus Sunday. 

'While every American has the right to peaceful protest, calls for violence and physical intimidation targeting Jewish students and the Jewish community are blatantly anti-Semitic, unconscionable, and dangerous – they have absolutely no place on any college campus, or anywhere in the United States of America,' said White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates. 

New York City's Democrat Mayor Eric Adams also targeted the protesters in a post on X - ripping them and the Ivy League university over the reports of anti-Semitism. 

'I am horrified and disgusted with the antisemitism being spewed at and around the Columbia University campus,' he wrote. 

Tensions had been at boiling point since the protesters pitched tents on the university's south lawn at 4am on Wednesday, with several fights breaking out as they were met by pro-Israeli counter-demonstrators 

For the fifth day, pro-Palestinian students occupy a central lawn on the Columbia University campus 

Tensions had been at boiling point since the protesters pitched tents on the university's south lawn at 4am on Wednesday, with several fights breaking out as they were met by pro-Israeli counter-demonstrators. 

For the fifth day, pro-Palestinian students occupied a central lawn on the Columbia University campus. 

Dozens of New York Police Department officers have entered the so-called 'Gaza solidarity camp.' 

Ten students have been charged so far, mostly with resisting arrest and obstructing governmental administration. 

A large group of demonstrators met outside the university gates on Saturday while student protestors returned to the main lawn, waving flags and chanting.

In a testimony before Congress, Shafik defended the students' actions and insisted she had been working to combat antisemitism.

Shafik asserted that the 'vast majority' of protests on campus have been 'peaceful' and said the college is focused on upholding free speech, but 'cannot and shouldn't tolerate abuses this pledge to harass and discriminate.' 

She noted holding daily meetings with the campus security team and working closely with the NYPD and FBI in instances where hate crimes are reported.

Protests have exploded across the university's campus over the past few months as war continues to brew in the Middle East. 

However, they have only intensified amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict that has seen over 30,000 Palestinian civilians killed.

Read Entire Article