NEW YORK — Police arrested protesters at Columbia University Thursday as pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli demonstrators faced off.

Police started making arrests Thursday afternoon at a makeshift encampment that pro-Palestinian protesters had set up on Columbia’s South Lawn. 

As arrests were being made, some protesters could be heard chanting “NYPD KKK.”   

In a letter, Columbia University President Minouche Shafik asked the NYPD to move in, writing “I have determined that the encampment and related disruptions pose a clear and present danger to the substantial functioning of the University.” 

“With great regret, we request the NYPD’s help to remove these individuals,” she wrote.

Shafik said all university students participating in the encampment are being suspended. 

“I regret that all of these attempts to resolve the situation were rejected by the students involved. As a result, NYPD officers are now on campus and the process of clearing the encampment is underway,” Shafik wrote in a statement to the Columbia community. 

The NYPD brought in buses to hold those who were detained. Demonstrations were taking place both on and off campus. 

“Columbia is committed to allowing members of our community to engage in political expression – within established rules and with respect for the safety of all,” Shafik wrote. 

The dueling demonstrations started on Wednesday, but were ratcheted up on Thursday. The first arrests started just after 8 a.m., as small pro-Palestinian demonstrations were taking place outside Columbia’s campus gates. Some demonstrators expressed discontent with how they say the NYPD handled the situation.

“There was no point of ever working with the police. Like every single step of the way, they were escalating it,” a protester named Selena said.

It wasn’t immediately clear how many arrests were made. According to protesters, police started detaining them Thursday morning for blocking the entrance to the subway, which they say was not the case.

“Not allowing us to exercise any of our rights,” Selena said.

Protests continue after Columbia’s president testifies

Demonstrations began when Shafik testified Wednesday on Capitol Hill, where she was accused of failing to discipline students for antisemitic rhetoric. Demonstrators at the Morningside Heights campus reacted to her testimony.

“Columbia has shown over and over they don’t care about students’ rights, voices or safety,” said Aidan Parisi, a pro-Palestinian protester.

“I’m scared to wear a Jewish star here. I’ve gotten very nasty antisemitic comments at me and I don’t understand how this is accepted,” Kim Silverman said.

The vast majority of Thursday morning’s protesters were not Columbia students.

Doug Williams

Doug Williams has been reporting and anchoring in the Tri-State Area since 2013.