When James Carlson was arrested inside Columbia University’s Hamilton Hall, he was already under investigation for snatching an Israeli flag out of a man’s hand near campus and setting it on fire.

That wasn’t the first time Carlson, who has no affiliation with Columbia, had run afoul of the law. He was arrested in San Francisco in 2005 during a violent protest organized by an anarchist group, according to a senior law enforcement official.

Overall, of the 112 people arrested at Columbia on Tuesday, 32 had no affiliation with the school, or 29%, according to the mayor’s office and the New York Police Department. Out of the 170 people arrested at the City College of New York, 102 people had no ties to the school, or 60%.

  • @jordanlund
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    125 months ago

    That tracks with the Portland protest:

    https://www.koin.com/news/protests/portland-police-id-protest-occupy-psu-library-arrest-student-ceasefire-palestine-israel/

    "By the end of the day, police reported they had arrested 30 people, of which only seven were self-declared students.

    Authorities are still searching for at least 18 other protesters who fled the library during its initial occupation Thursday morning as well as its second occupation that night."

    • @JeeBaiChow
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      45 months ago

      This should be higher. The vast majority of us are assigning blame and accountsbility based on sensationalized headlines and keyword triggers. The fact is we don’t know the truth and let’s be frank, it’s easy to generate mass hysteria if you’re cruel and feckless enough.