Hundreds of pro-Hamas protesters who were arrested this past week for taking over New York universities with unruly rallies will not face criminal records, the New York Post reported.
According to the media outlet, none of the 228 demonstrators who participated in the protests at Columbia University and New York University received charges that will go on their records.
The rowdy protesters were detained by the New York Police Department and released a short time later. Of the 120 anti-Israel activists who were removed from the NYU campus on Monday, 116 received summonses for trespassing, and four received desk appearance tickets for other charges, including resisting arrest.
DATs require the charged individuals to appear in the New York City Criminal Court for arraignment.
Another 108 pro-Palestinian protesters, including Minnesota Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar's daughter, Isra Hirsi, were arrested at Columbia University earlier this month — 100 received summonses for trespassing and eight received DATs.
Neither summonses nor DATs go on criminal records.
One law enforcement source told the Post that the lack of accountability will only push the pro-Hamas activists to continue their demonstrations.
"They'll keep getting arrested and go back out and keep doing the same thing because this is all a performative game for them," the source explained. "It's a game because the system doesn't hold them accountable for their nightly temper tantrums."
The campus takeovers prompted Columbia University to switch its Morningside Heights classes to "hybrid," which effectively canceled nearly all in-person courses with few exceptions. Many administrators and staff members were encouraged to work remotely to avoid the potentially dangerous demonstrations.
Most individuals arrested at Columbia University receive summonses, and some others received DATs for offenses including resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer, the Post reported.
The protesters have repeatedly refused to leave the university campuses, setting up tents and signs while demanding the schools divest from companies with ties to Israel.
Despite the protesters dodging jail time and criminal records, more than 1,400 academics signed a letter vowing to boycott Columbia University events over the brief detainments, according to the school's newspaper. The academics from around the globe also demanded the university "divest from Israel's US-backed genocide in Gaza and the West Bank."
"We are appalled by the Columbia administration's decision to call the NYPD's Strategic Response Group onto campus, in full riot gear, to arrest over one hundred peacefully protesting students," the letter stated.
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The New York Police Department arrested more than 150 pro-Hamas protesters at New York University on Monday evening amid a wave of volatile demonstrations taking over university campuses.
Many of the detained anti-Israel protesters were students and faculty who had set up an encampment on the NYU campus. According to the school’s newspaper, Washington Square News, the pop-up campsite was formed by the NYU Palestine Solidarity Coalition, which consists of more than 20 on-campus groups.
The protesters demanded that the university divest from entities with ties to Israel and shut down its Tel Aviv site. Similar encampments have sprouted up at a number of universities across the country, including Columbia University, MIT, Yale, and the University of Michigan.
Fountain Walker, NYU’s head of campus safety, warned protesters that they would “face consequences” if they failed to leave the area by 4 p.m., according to Washington Square News.
“With the breach of the barricades early this afternoon, that requirement was violated, and we witnessed disorderly, disruptive, and antagonizing behavior that has interfered with the safety and security of our community,” Walker told the crowd. “If you leave now, no one will face any consequences for today’s actions — no discipline, no police.”
Despite the warning, the demonstration continued to grow, with activists outside campus arriving to support those inside the encampment.
Around 8:30 p.m. on Monday, NYPD officers in riot gear instructed the protesters to disperse, warning that they would be arrested for trespassing if they refused. Police then began handcuffing demonstrators with zip ties. The remaining protesters responded to the arrests by forming a circle around the encampment and linking arms.
A video captured by a reporter with the City showed faculty and students creating a human barrier between police and the rest of the protesters.
While students pray at one end of the plaza police enter through back entrance LRAD plays while line of faculty hold a line.— (@)
Other videos shared on social media showed rowdy and disorderly protesters hurling chairs and other objects at NYPD officers.
Bottles and chairs thrown as NYPD Clears the NYU occupation encampment 'Liberated Zone', making mass arrests.\n\nFULL STORY: https://t.co/ogESGvZcpK\n\nVideo by @yyeeaahhhboiii2 Desk@freedomnews.tv to license— (@)
By approximately 9:30 p.m. all of the demonstrators had dispersed or been arrested, Washington Square News reported. It noted that NYPD began releasing the detained students and faculty in groups of two to five around 3:50 a.m.
NYU spokesperson John Beckman said, “We witnessed disorderly, disruptive, and antagonizing behavior that has interfered with the safety and security of our community, and that demonstrated how quickly a demonstration can get out of control or people can get hurt.”
“We also learned that there were intimidating chants and several anti-Semitic incidents reported,” Beckman continued. “Given the foregoing and the safety issues raised by the breach, we asked for assistance from the NYPD. The police urged those on the plaza to leave peacefully but ultimately made a number of arrests.”
Some remaining protesters who were not arrested by authorities marched toward NYPD headquarters carrying flares late Monday evening.
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An attacker punched a New York University female administrator in the face in broad daylight Wednesday — yet another episode in a growing series of random assaults against women in New York City.
NYU campus safety issued an alert saying a "male-presenting" attacker punched the right side of the administrator's face "without any provocation or words being exchanged" just after 10:30 a.m. on the south sidewalk of Washington Square North between 5th Avenue and Washington Square West in Manhattan.
The alert indicated that the suspect then fled east toward University Place.
The suspect was described as 5'6" to 5'7" with a slim build and dark complexion, wearing a gray hoodie sweatshirt (hood up), gray sweatpants, and black sneakers, the alert stated, adding that New York City Police are "investigating this incident as a hate crime (that might be tied to reports of a series of similar unprovoked attacks on women that Campus Safety communicated about in late March)."
WNBC-TV reported that the 27-year-old administrator wasn't seriously injured.
The NYPD said over the last 28 days, there have been 50 unprovoked attacks involving men attacking women they don't know, the station said, adding that while the number represents an increase of 8% compared to the same time period last year, such attacks are down year over year by 12% overall.
"I'm honestly scared, but it is what it is," one woman told WNBC. "You just got to watch, make sure you're OK. Take care of yourself."
Blaze News noted in late March that horrified New York City women reported that males punched them in the face and head in unprovoked, broad-daylight attacks over the previous month.
"I was literally just walking and a man came up and punched me in the face," influencer Halley Mcgookin said through tears in a video describing an attack against her that had just taken place, Today reported. "Oh my God, it hurts so bad. I can't even talk."
Not long after, another woman came forward saying she also was punched in an unprovoked attack. What's more, there was video of the brutal punch, the victim suffered a broken jaw — which had to be wired shut — and the suspect reportedly was released without bail despite seven prior assault arrests.
NYC woman randomly punched while walking down street youtu.be
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The family of an 18-year-old NYU student who fell to her sudden death is questioning the official narrative surrounding her puzzling passing.
Doreah Salti plummeted five stories from New York University's Barney Building on Stuyvesant Street in the East Village on Feb. 10. Police found the 18-year-old unresponsive with severe bodily trauma. She was rushed to Bellevue Hospital, but she later succumbed to her injuries from the fall.
Investigators initially suspected her death was a suicide.
However, Salti's family doesn't believe their "happy" daughter committed suicide and are searching for answers to her mystery death.
Fewer than three hours before her untimely death, Salti had purportedly been on a museum field trip.
The same night that she died suddenly, Doreah was asking her father if he had purchased opera tickets that they had previously discussed attending. Salti had told relatives that she was returning home to Chicago for Presidents' Day weekend and planned to attend the performance at the Lyric Opera House on St. Patrick’s Day.
Isabella Salti, Doreah's twin sister, said they were planning a trip to Miami for their birthday in April. Doreah had even purchased bathing suits, sunglasses, and outfits for the birthday jaunt.
Isabella described her sister as a "happy, happy 18-year-old," who always had big dreams.
Doreah had been admitted to NYU’s summer program for artistry in Paris, France.
Doreah's father, a 57-year-old surgical oncologist at Edward Hospital in Illinois, doesn't believe that his daughter committed suicide.
"There was no mental health history, no [suicide] note, no bad grades, no substance abuse, no family history of mental health issues," George Salti told the New York Post. "She was fine … she was normal on that day."
Maria Salti, Doreah's mother, declared that the family was "100% confident Doreah would never take her own life."
George said that he had spoken to a New York City medical examiner, who also didn't believe that Doreah had purposely jumped to her death. Apparently, Doreah had severe injuries to her hands and wrists, which reportedly signals that she attempted to protect herself during the fall.
"She went head-first and covered her face," George explained. "Somebody who covers their face is trying to protect themselves, they are not trying to kill themselves."
He added, "The medical examiner indicated she does not think she jumped."
The distraught dad added, "I said, 'It sounds like foul play.' And she responded, 'Or an accident.'"
The medical examiner's office said Doreah's cause of death is "still a pending investigation."
However, the Salti family has hired a private investigator to unravel the mystery death. The family has also retained the services of Cohen & Gresser, a prominent international law firm.
Maria said, "Doreah was a bundle of joy. She was intelligent, funny, joyful, creative, a deep thinker, always looking forward — a dynamo. She always brought laughter to the family."
The mother noted, "Part of her college essay was about being a stand-up comedian. She was witty, she was smart."
"Words fall short of describing what losing a child is like," the grieving mother said. "We have to deal with the pain and the questions."
The father said more than 1,000 people attended her funeral at St. George Orthodox Church in Cicero, Illinois.
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The so-called "non-binary" New York University student who referred to Hamas' slaughter of over 1,400 Israelis and dozens of Americans earlier this month as "resistance" was recently given an opportunity by ABC News to amend her comments on national television. The unrepentant 24-year-old, Ryna Workman, doubled-down on her remarks and was seen hours later defacing posters of the hostages taken by the terrorist organization.
Days after the Hamas terror attacks, Workman, who refers to herself as an ungendered plurality, published a statement in her capacity as SBA president, saying, "This week, I want to express, first and foremost, my unwavering and absolute solidarity with Palestinians in their resistance against oppression toward liberation and self-determination. Israel bears full responsibility for this tremendous loss of life."
"This regime of state-sanctioned violence created the conditions that made resistance necessary. I will not condemn Palestinian resistance," she continued in her Oct. 10 statement. "Instead ... I condemn the violence of apartheid. I condemn the violence of settler colonialism. I condemn the violence of military occupation."
Blaze News reported that Workman's denunciation of Israel in the immediate aftermath of its attack by terrorists did not go unnoticed by her prospective employer with whom she was set to make a small fortune as a lawyer.
Winson & Strawn LLP ultimately rescinded the NYU law student's offer of employment.
Troy McKenzie, the dean of the law school, attempted to distance the school from Workman's pro-terror remarks, noting she did not speak for the school.
Days later, the NYU Student Bar Association moved to depose Workman.
According to the student paper Washington Square News, Workman's removal couldn't come fast enough. Last week, all members of the association stepped down.
Workman told the student paper, "You're seeing these resignations because it's a scary time to be speaking up for human rights right now, and I don't think it should be."
Workman further claimed in a statement, "The harassment campaign against me has targeted all facets of my identity: the fact that I am Black, the fact that I am queer, the fact that I am nonbinary. ... Regardless of how terrible my week has been, this attention on one student’s email to their fellow law students is entirely misplaced and a dangerous distraction. We must stay focused on what really matters, and that is doing all we can to prevent furthering the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza."
Workman appeared on "ABC News Live Prime" this week to discuss the backlash she has faced for signaling common cause with terrorists.
After the student regurgitated anti-Israeli talking points similar to those repeatedly advanced by leftists such as Democratic Reps. Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, ABC News host Linsey Davis asked, "If you were to redo the letter, obviously with the benefit of hindsight, anything you would have done differently?"
The student did not appear the slightest bit repentant for her remarks, answering, "I think I will continue to speak up for Palestinian human rights and use whatever platform I have available to me to call for a ceasefire and, you know, end this occupation that's harming the Palestinians."
Visibly dumbfounded by the student's response, Davis provided Workman with another opportunity to modify her previous glorification of savagery: "I'm just gonna try one more time. Would you change anything? Even the timing of it? Because some people felt it was too soon because your letter came before Israel even launched any kind of retaliation."
"I think it's important to note that the genocide happening right now did not start on Oct. 7, it started over 75 years ago," responded Workman. "We are seeing violence happening that is part of a much larger structural violence system that is happening in Palestine right now."
Davis asked whether Workman condemned Hamas' actions. The student doubled down on her previous remarks criticizing Israel, saying, "I think what I use my platform for and who I condemn was pretty clear by my message. And I think that I will continue to condemn apartheid and military occupation."
Davis changed tack, asking instead whether there was "room to have empathy for the Israelis who lost their lives, who were brutalized, who were raped and also empathy for the Palestinians? ... Do have empathy for the Israeli victims?"
Workman dodged the question and reiterated her call for a ceasefire.
— (@)
Hours after the interview, Workman was spotted dressed in the same garb in New York City defacing posters of Israeli civilians who had been taken hostage by Hamas, reported the New York Post.
A video uploaded to X shows her taping pro-Palestine rally advertisements over the hostage posters. The ads, for an Oct. 25 national student walkout, read, "NYU STUDENTS, DEMAND A FREE PALESTINE. ... Bring a mask, a friend, and a kufiyah if you have one."
The protest was aimed at demanding the university's divestment from Israel.
@ABCNewsLive @LinseyDavis She couldn\u2019t even change her interview outfit as she disgracefully walks around NYC covering up innocent hostage posters @ABCNewsLive @nyulaw @nyuniversity @WinstonLaw— (@)
Workman was not alone in her Wednesday walkout. Hundreds of NYU students, including members from various groups such as Students for Justice in Palestine, Young Democratic Socialists of America, and Faculty for Justice in Palestine reportedly joined her, marching from Schwartz Plaza to Washington Square Park.
John Beckman, a spokesman for the university, indicated that the signs exhibited by the anti-Israel protesters were "antisemitic, repugnant, and a disgrace; they are, in a word, vile."
One sign read, "Where there is oppression, there will be resistance."
Another showed a blue Star of David in a garbage can with the caption, "Please keep the world clean," reported the Daily Mail.
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A few mega-donors recently announced they would withhold donations to some of the nation’s elite schools for their persistent failure to address antisemitism on college campuses.
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