NYC Mayor Eric Adams Says Outsiders Led Escalation in Protests at Columbia University

‘Young people are being influenced by those who are professionals at radicalizing our children,’ Mr. Adams said.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams announcing a pilot program to deploy portable gun scanners throughout the New York subway system, on March 28, 2024. NYC Office of the Mayor via AP/Screenshot via NTD

New York City Mayor Eric Adams, along with top officials from the New York Police Department (NYPD), announced that approximately 300 individuals were arrested on April 30 after police moved in to remove protesters from Columbia University and the City College of New York (CCNY) following weeks of tension on the campuses and others across the nation.

Mr. Adams said the NYPD targeted individuals who escalated a peaceful protest into a volatile confrontation, incorporating anti-Semitic and anti-Israel sentiments.