CAIR-NY Denounces Columbia, CCNY Actions Unleashing Police Violence, Calls on Manhattan DA to Drop Charges
(NEW YORK, NY, 5/1/2024) - The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY), a leading Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, denounced Columbia University and City College of New York (CCNY) for calling on the NYPD to arrest student protesters condemning the ongoing genocide in Palestine and calls upon the Manhattan District Attorney, Alvin Bragg, to drop all charges against the arrested.
At both CCNY and Columbia, students have encamped in buildings after their universities failed to meet student demands largely calling for divestment from companies that profit off of the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people. Schools threatened the students with suspension and arrests. Columbia threatened expulsion of students occupying Hamilton Hall, renamed Hind Hall for the 6-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed alongside her family fleeing the violence and the paramedics who were trying to respond to her pleas for medical assistance. Hamilton Hall is the same historic building occupied in 1968 against the Vietnam War.
Last night, the NYPD appeared at the scene with riot gear, swept into the building encampments and reportedly arrested numerous protesters at Columbia and CCNY. Final numbers of those arrested is not yet known, but initial reports indicate more than one hundred protesters, students and faculty, were taken into custody.
SEE: Over 100 protesters from CCNY, Columbia arrested; demonstration at NYPD headquarters
SEE: NYPD Breaks Up Campus Encampments at City College and Columbia, Arresting Student Protesters
In a statement, CAIR-NY Executive Director Afaf Nasher said:
"It is sad but not surprising that Columbia University and CCNY officials would rather unleash the NYPD on their own students than simply meet their demand to divest from the Israeli government and its genocide in Gaza. Like the students who engaged in civil disobedience to protest the Vietnam War and apartheid in South Africa, these anti-genocide students are on the right side of history.
"Students are empathizing with Palestinian youth who are brutally denied their futures. In contrast, our American colleges are aligning themselves with terrorizing Palestinian children. Instead of joining students calling for an end to war profiteering, our universities are profiting from ethnic-based massacres.
“While students call for a ceasefire and peace, colleges are inviting violence onto campuses with police arrests. Rather than join the diverse religious, racial, and ethnic student groups that stand in unity against genocide, school administrators are affirming their complicity in the horrific murder of tens of thousands of Palestinians.
"It is not complicated: suspensions, expulsions, and even violent arrests will not end campus protests. Students have made it clear that they require a true commitment to ending complicity in genocide. CAIR-NY commends their pursuit to do their part in ending American support of Israel's continued genocide. We fully expect these same schools to one day celebrate these students the same way students who occupied Hamilton Hall decades ago are celebrated today."
CAIR-NY has vocalized support for student protesters on numerous occasions.
SEE: CAIR-NY Condemns Columbia University, NYPD Actions Against Peaceful Protesters
CAIR-NY's mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR-NY es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT:
Afaf Nasher, Esq., Executive Director, anasher@cair.com, 917-669-4006;
Lamya Agarwala, Esq., Supervising Attorney, LAgarwala@cair.com;
Saira Amar, MPA, CAIR-NY, Communications Coordinator, SAmar@cair.com