NEWYORK: New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Police Department Commissioner Edward A. Caban released details of those involved in the violent protests and illegal behavior at Columbia University and said that 282 people have been arrested during the protests.
During a joint press conference with New York City Police Department Commissioner Edward A. Caban, Mayor Adams said that administration will not allow New York to become a lawless city and it will not allow our young people to be influenced by those who do not have any other purpose but to spread hatred and destruction.
Mayor Adams said that as the anti-Israel protests escalated it has became abundantly clear that individuals unaffiliated with these schools entered in various campuses and trained students in illegal protest tactics.
During press conference, Mayor said that half of arrested persons who were arrested at Columbia and City College were not from those schools but from unaffiliated protesters. Mayor said that administration will not allow peaceful gatherings to turn into violent protests.
New York Police Commissioner Edward Caban said that what police saw during the protests and the evidence that came out after this week’s arrests, it is clear that there are outsiders involved in these protests who professionally exploit peaceful protests.
The Commissioner said that our youth are the most threatened by outsiders and the job of NYPD is to protect this right.
He said that NYPD will not tolerate violence, damage to property, or disruption of emergency services.
Commissioner Kaban added that police have been investigating after the arrest as which individuals are affiliated with the schools and which are not. He said that most of arrested persons have not cooperated with the NYPD and they were not providing information on whether they have any affiliation with the Columbia or the City College of New York.
