NEW YORK – New York City first responders removed the Palestinian flag and restored the American flag on the City College of New York campus. The Palestinian flag was raised by anti-Israel agitators during a protest.
A pro-Palestinian group, Within Our Lifetime Palestine, posted video on X showing the Palestinian flag flying in lieu of the American flag just before 9 p.m. Tuesday, Fox News Digital reported. It’s unclear how long the foreign flag had by in place on the CCNY campus.
NYPD Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry affirmed the move by police and fire personnel on social media late Tuesday night shortly after law enforcement authorities regained control on campus.
“An incredible scene and proud moment as we have assisted @CityCollegeNY in restoring order on campus, culminating in raising Old Glory once again on their campus flagpole,” Daughtry wrote on X.
Prior to order being restored on the campus, local news outlets reported that agitators were firing off flares at the college entrance.
Initially, CUNY public safety officers responded and arrested 25 participants, CUNY said. However, they required further assistance and later made “the difficult decision” to request backup from NYPD, which arrived at about 11:45 p.m. and made an untold number of arrests before order was restored.
According to a statement released early Wednesday morning by the City University of New York (CUNY), the system overseeing CCNY, the unruly mob of agitators became intolerable Tuesday evening when “a large crowd of demonstrators” marched from Columbia to CCNY.
The statement said “a series of violent incidents” during the anti-Israel protests during the previous six days placed public safety and the campus community at risk, which resulted in the decision.
“This includes a fire Sunday night at the Marshak Science Building caused by use of a flare gun that brought FDNY to campus, clashes with public safety, an attempted break-in at Shepard Hall tonight, and a break-in at the Administration Building tonight that included the vandalizing of offices and smashing glass doors,” the statement said.
