(NewsInsights.org) – A group of Columbia University and Barnard College students organized a protest by setting up and occupying a tent encampment on Columbia’s South Lawn early on Wednesday, April 17, in violation of school policy. Organizers’ refusal to disband the protest resulted in Barnard suspending Representative Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN) daughter, Isra Hirsi, and two others on Thursday morning. New York Police also arrested Hirsi and about 100 other students for trespassing later that evening.
According to a statement released by Barnard, school administrators and senior staff members made multiple requests in person and in writing on Wednesday, asking the protesters to leave the encampment and notifying them of the potential consequences should they refuse. On X, formerly Twitter, Hirsi wrote she was one of the organizers of Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), a pro-Palestinian group.
i’m an organizer with CU Apartheid Divest @ColumbiaSJP, in my 3 years at @BarnardCollege i have never been reprimanded or received any disciplinary warnings
i just received notice that i am 1 of 3 students suspended for standing in solidarity with Palestinians facing a genocide.
— isra hirsi (@israhirsi) April 18, 2024
She added that CUAD intended to “stand resolute” until Columbia and Barnard met its demands or removed the peaceful protestors by force. The organization’s demands included divestment from any “companies complicit in genocide,” complete financial transparency regarding the schools’ investments, and amnesty for student protestors.
The interim suspension prevents Hirsi from attending classes for up to 10 days. Hirsi described herself as part of Columbia University’s Students for Justice in Palestine movement, one of two groups the administration suspended in November for holding unauthorized events. Barnard is an official college of Columbia.
School authorities issued the suspensions one day after Columbia University President Dr. Nemat Shafik testified before the House Education and Workforce Committee, answering probing questions from Omar and others regarding how her campus has handled protests. In the aftermath of the suspensions and arrests, Rep. Jamaal Bowen (D-NY) accused the school administration of retaliating against Omar by targeting her daughter.
However, New York Mayor Eric Adams (D) viewed the incident differently. After police arrested more than 100 students, he told reporters, “Students have a right to free speech. They do not have a right to violate university policies and disrupt learning on campus.”
Regarding Hirsi stirring up controversy through advocacy, perhaps Omar’s apple doesn’t fall far from her tree.
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