(CNN) — New York Police Department officers entered Columbia University on Thursday to disperse a pro-Palestinian protest that began a day earlier as the university’s president about the school’s response to antisemitism.
The protesters, including students, faculty and others, set up tents, signs and held a rally in upper Manhattan on Wednesday. Many of them camped overnight.
NYPD officers used bullhorns on Thursday to tell protesters they would be arrested unless they dispersed immediately. Large crowds of Columbia students on the perimeter chanted, “Shame on you†and, “The students united will never be defeated.â€
Columbia President Nemat “Minouche†Shafik has faced criticism on campus for not protecting students from antisemitism, Islamophobia and anti-Arab harassment.
Shafik authorized the NYPD to break up the encampment, according to an email to students on Thursday obtained by CNN. Shafik wrote she authorized the move “out of an abundance of concern for the safety of Columbia’s’ campus.â€
“I took this extraordinary step because these are extraordinary circumstances,†Shafik wrote. “The individuals who established the encampment violated a long list of rules and policies.â€
This is a developing story and will be updated.
The-CNN-Wire
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