More than 100 people were arrested and issued summonses for trespass this week after protesters established an encampment at New York City's Columbia University in support of Palestinians in Gaza.
New York Mayor Eric Adams said on Thursday (Apr. 18) that the demonstrators occupied the space on the university's South Lawn for around 30 hours before Columbia requested the NYPD disperse them.
As a result, Columbia students participating in the protest were suspended when they refused to leave. Isra Hirsi, the 21-year-old daughter of Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, was among the protesters arrested.
"Columbia University's students have a proud history of protests and raising their voices," Adams said, stressing that the protesters do not have the right to violate university policies.
"We will not be a city of lawlessness," he added.
Susan Sarandon Joins Columbia Protest
On the other hand, the New York Post reported that "Thelma and Louise" star Susan Sarandon attended the pro-Palestine protest on Friday (Apr. 19).
The Oscar winner was spotted strolling among demonstrators holding "Free Palestine" signs while wearing a jacket featuring characters from "The Simpsons."
The Post noted that it was the second time Sarandon, 77, had worn the jacket while participating in a pro-Palestine protest.
In December, Sarandon was dropped from a PTO Films project and the United Talent Agency after going on an anti-Jewish rant, which she later apologized for.
The month before, in November, Sarandon attended a pro-Palestinian rally in New York, proclaiming that the Jews were "getting a taste of what it is like to be Muslim in this country, so often subjected to violence" following the rise of antisemitic attacks due to the Israel-Hamas War.
She also attended another protest last month in Washington Square Park, where she urged the crowd to disrupt "the narrative of the powerful."
Also among the participants was former Cooper Union professor Shellyne Rodriguez, whom the Post alleged to have threatened one of its reporters with a machete.
"I am here to support the students who understand that it is very important to have their voices heard," Rodriguez said. "It is important at this point to challenge all systems that are full of hate and bigotry and intolerance and injustice."
'We Are Hamas' Chants Heard
On the other hand, Fox News Digital reported that some of the demonstrators were heard chanting "NYPD KKK. NYPD, we know you. You're Israeli trained too!"
A marcher was also captured on video uploaded to social media shouting "We are Hamas! ... We are all Hamas, pig!" while another could be heard saying "Long live Hamas!"
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told Fox News that the Biden administration would investigate the incident.
"This is a president that has been since he's been in office, and the reason why he ran has been very clear about what he witnessed in Charlottesville," she said. "Let's not forget what we saw, the antisemitism, the bigotry, the hate that we saw in the [streets] of Charlottesville, which as I just stated, was one of the reasons that he decided to run. And no president has taken more action to combat antisemitism than this president."
The demonstrations are still ongoing as of press time.
