By Gus Saltonstall
A 22-year-old carrying an Israeli flag near the gates of Columbia University on Saturday night had the flag ripped out of his hand, rocks thrown at him, and the flag set on fire, police said on Thursday evening.
The man was walking near Amsterdam Avenue and West 116th Street about 10 p.m., when a man approached him and grabbed the flag, police said. The 22-year-old proceeded to chase the person who ran into a crowd, when a different individual threw a rock at him, striking him in the face, police said.
A separate person within the crowd then snatched the Israeli flag and set it on fire, police added.
The 22-year-old suffered minor injuries, but refused medical attention at the scene.
NYPD did not confirm to West Side Rag if the man was Jewish, but the Hate Crime Task Force is investigating the incident.
On the same night, three people were also arrested during protests at the Morningside Heights campus, and another person was taken away on a stretcher, according to reports.
Police released a photo Thursday of a man wanted in connection with the above incidents. NYPD described him as between 20 and 30 years old.
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So a cashier at Trader Joe’s on Columbus said to my wife this morning that Hitler was Jewish. Just said it to her for some reason and then insisted he was right. “Look it up” he said.
I’m not sure that registering a complaint is the most productive course. You might get your wish that this person never expresses this opinion aloud again, but it will still fester inside his head — perhaps even more so if he winds up fired. Ignorance is one of the greatest threats to Judaism. Although people tend to be more stuck in their opinions these days, there also could be an opportunity to engage and demonstrate how this myth about Hitler has been conclusively debunked.
You need to contact the company, go back and take his photograph, and record him. Then make sure his employer knows.
That’s being offensive to a customer for no reason. He shouldn’t be interfacing with customers and possibly co-workers who would be offended, too. Isn’t it all about safe spaces?
Did she lodge a complaint about him?
He should be reported. His job is to provide cashier services in a friendly, efficient manner.
Imagine if he said that David Duke is really black or that the KKK is secretly run by blacks.
And the university is “negotiating” with these people? Take a page from the country where you are located and don’t negotiate with terrorists. Expel the students, fire the professors, clear the encampment, and maybe these outside agitators will go away
it wasn’t on campus and it’s being taken care of by the police
Thank you, again and again, NYPD!
What else can we expect from people who support terrorists and refuse to condemn the rape, murder, and kidnapping of people?
This is just the beginning. It’s going to get much worse.
These people are part of a mob and they want blood.
These protestors think they are channeling the 60s but the hate and violence they are partaking in are so far from that. I disagree with much of what they stand for but I respect their right to protest quietly and peacefully. I wish the law-abiding protestors would realize that these lunatics (I think that’s what the L on his jacket stands for) are making them all look bad.
It is sad to see fine institutions of higher learning collapse because some students (or more likely outsiders) are choosing to showcase their stupidity. Lock them up.
The protesters are more accurately channeling the white racists of the mid 50’s and early 60’s who sought it bully, intimidate and harass people who simply wanted to attend school and be left alone. They have consistently moved beyond peaceful protest into obstruction and what might charitably be called “civil disobedience”, but they are unwilling to accept the consequences of civil disobedience. Further, they actively seek to deny others the free speech rights they insist on for themselves.
I actually think they’re performing an important function, letting the right wing government in Israel know that people are watching and it can’t just do anything it wants. But their hatred and ignorance makes it very hard to support them. The most performative and extremist protestors become the leaders, which is a common problem with everything organized on social media.
Sorry Mark Moore,
They do NOT perform an important function.
What they perform is hate and ignorance.
Israel already knows very well without such protests that people are always watching and ready to be critical of its actions. That is the reason Hamas and other entities periodically attack and provoke Israel when things are calm knowing that Israel must take extraordinary steps to dial it back for a while. The terrorists are superb at propaganda and riling up anti-semites.
Disgraceful! This is too much
Let’s face it, mass attacks against Jews by these protestors (at Columbia & other campuses) is inevitable. They’re literally flying Hamas flags and their verbal insults and threats are indisputably anti-Semitic. This ain’t the “free Palestine” crowd the media tells us it is.
Terrorists. Nothing more.
And online, a meme was trending yesterday on X (formerly Twitter) that essentially stated that Hitler was right.
This new wave of anti-semitism is frightening and out of control.
And, this time, they think they’re disguising it with masks and virtue signaling.
Disgusting. Hate has no bounds. We should all be respectful of each others opinions in a non violent way. Another reason to move to the suburbs. The city is turning into a violent free for all, without repercussions.
I grew up in the suburbs. Antisemitism is alive and well there, too.
Sadly, you won’t escape anti-Semitism in the burbs.
I visited Princeton yesterday to tour the university with my HS child. There were hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters occupying a courtyard screaming and chanting viciously anti-Israel rhetoric. The mob was almost cult like.
Their noise was so loud our tour director, a sophomore student, could barely be heard. He was obviously embarrassed by the commotion and sidestepped questions from nervous parents about the protests.
It must be awful to pay tens of thousands of dollars for your child to attend this college and have to be confronted by these hate mobs. Not only are these mobs threatening and intimidating but they are disrupting classes and the learning process.
These mobs are exposing themselves to the general public as to what they are truly about. Nobody likes chaos and disorderly conduct, especially when the motivating factor is hatred. I believe there is already a backlash against the pro-Palestine crowd and their cause.
Prospective employers will dig deep into these students’ backgrounds to ascertain their involvement in these riots.
That’s the reason they wear masks and sun glasses, with the kafiya head covering.
Basically ignorant “lets join the mob” cowards.
These non students coming in need to be immediately removed from the area. They are the ones causing all the problems
The war in Gazza could be over in minutes…
Release the 131 hostages being Held by Hamas.
And please the 9 month old baby Kfir now a year and a half) and his 4 year old brother Ariel who were kidnapped on 10/7/23.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/the-saddest-birthday-in-the-world-hostage-kfir-bibas-turns-1-in-hamas-captivity/amp/
I did ask a protestor at Columbia about the Hostages this week …. and he had no idea what I was talking about.
I’m getting the feeling that there are a lot of paid protesters here who are just given a script to recite.
I know the Columbia campus well and how the quadrangle is set up for graduation. There are thousands of folding chairs stretching a hundred yards left to right and 100 yards front to back. If a graduating student or an an invitee jumps up and starts yelling it will take 10 minutes to remove him. If he has to be dragged other guests will start yelling. The graduation ceremony of May 15th will have to be cancelled.
Let’s see if these were Columbia students. Could have been outside agitators.
Truly, the protesters I know are thoughtful and many are Jewish. They want to focus on ending the tremendous, unnecessary, suffering (including return of hostages) – so much of which is being paid for by US tax dollars. The performative anti-Semitism is repudiated by student organizations – it is really outside jerks being outrageous and vile for their own sick reasons or for the cameras and it is not happening on campus. Glad the NYPD caught this one. But be aware, most students are not anti semitic. Anti “occupation” and anti “Zionist” (maybe anti historical, as if there aren’t many kinds of Zionism over the last 150 years…) are not necessarily anti-Semitic .
Maggie,
Columbia just suspended one of their students, one of their protesters, who talked about murdering Jews…
Sorry, not peaceful and yes- Anti Semitic.
Per the New York Review (“Storm over Columbia” 4-27-2024);the founder of the Proud Boys was outside campus on Thursday 4-25 and Christian Nationalists have been demonstrating. But that is OUTSIDE the campus. These campus demos have attracted some really noxious agitators. Inside the campus the protesters sound organized and peaceful, with a code of conduct. “A few days ago, five students came in to the encampment with a huge Israeli flag and posters with pictures of the hostages….they stayed for two hours.Nobody bothered them….it’s really not unsafe.” This per a professor who has been on the campus and spent time with students. Read reporting if you can that distinguishes inside the campus – which has been closed to those without university ID – and the outside political/ media performances.
One thing I have noticed is that the majority of the “bad” footage (the Al-Qassam woman in front of the sundial being one of the exceptions) is mostly taken in front of the (closed) Broadway gate, not from South Lawn. Seeing as that’s a public sidewalk, Columbia can’t do much about the crazies out there attracting most of the attention.
Beware, this is the tip of the iceberg. As long as this is permitted it will grow. Hitler didn’t suddenly begin with thousands of followers. All that was needed was a few.