Columbia's interim president apologizes to protesters who occupied campus for 'hurt' caused by NYPD

The interim president of Columbia University kicked off the new school year by apologizing to anti-Israel protesters on campus who were "hurt" by the NYPD when they worked to clear the agitators who descended on the campus last year. 

"I know that this is tricky for me to say, but I do understand that I sit in this job, right. And so if you could just let everybody know who was hurt by that, that I’m just incredibly sorry," interim university President Katrina Armstrong told student newspaper The Columbia Spectator in her first interview with the outlet since she was named interim president. "And I know it wasn’t me, but I’m really sorry.… I saw it, and I’m really sorry."

Armstrong became interim president of the elite school last month when Minouche Shafik stepped down as president amid ongoing condemnation of her handling of campus protests last year that often turned violent. 

Agitators and student protesters flooded college campuses nationwide last school year to protest the war in Israel, which also included spiking instances of antisemitism and Jewish students publicly speaking out that they don’t feel safe on some campuses. 

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New York Police Department officers detain dozens of pro-Palestinian students at Columbia University after they barricaded themselves at the Hamilton Hall building on April 30, 2024. (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Columbia's campus was notably rocked by student and outside agitators demanding the school completely divest from Israel amid the ongoing war in the Middle East. 

This undated photo provided by Columbia University on Aug. 16, 2024, shows interim President Katrina Armstrong. (Jorg Meyer Photography/Columbia University via AP)

Agitators and pro-Hamas demonstrators stormed the university's Hamilton Hall at the end of April, occupying the building for nearly 24 hours before members of the NYPD were granted permission by the university to take it back from the protesters. The officers were overwhelmingly dressed in riot gear to carry out the operation, and "used electric saws, stun grenades, and other tactical gear to sweep" the building, according to the student newspaper's report published Thursday. 

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Student protesters camp on the campus of Columbia University, April 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, Pool, File)

During the widespread campus protests last school year, the NYPD also swept a tent encampment housing the protesters, which was dubbed the "Gaza Solidarity Encampment," before the university dismantled the encampment in May. 

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All in, the NYPD arrested about 200 protesters on Columbia's campus last school year. 

New York police detain dozens of pro-Palestinian students at Columbia University in New York on April 30, 2024. (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)

"As we face anything, we have to be very committed to the principles, and our principles are our students and are enabling an environment where people can have freedom of expression, and we support debate, and we do those things," Armstrong said. "We have to be committed to our principles in terms of ensuring that our academic activities can continue. And so I think we have to be very clear about that, because that’s the commitment I made to our students and to our professors."

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A protester is removed from Columbia University's Hamilton Hall in New York on April 30, 2024. (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Members of the Jewish community on campus ripped Armstrong's apology in comments to the New York Post.

"Why is she apologizing? An apology sends the message that there shouldn’t be consequences for breaking the rules," Ari Shrage, cofounder of the Columbia Jewish Alumni Association, told the New York Post, calling the remarks "tone deaf." "This is exactly the opposite of what Columbia needs now."

Anti-Israel demonstrators gather on the campus of Columbia University on April 29, 2024. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

"Instead of apologizing to the antisemitic protesters, [Armstrong] should be apologizing to the Jewish students for failing to protect them from relentless discrimination and harassment," student Maya Cukierman, 19, told the outlet. 

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Columbia Law School graduate Rory Lancman added that Armstrong kicking off the new school year by apologizing is an "ominous sign for Columbia’s dwindling cohort of Jewish students." 

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A Columbia University spokesperson told Fox Digital on Sunday when asked about Armstrong's comments that, "From day one, Interim President Armstrong has been focused on engaging with and listening to a wide range of students and communities across the university and has heard about the harm they experienced last academic year."

"Dr. Armstrong gave a wide-ranging interview with the student newspaper that in part focused on the impact of the past year, and just as she has as done while speaking to many groups across our campus, she recognized their pain and reiterated how sorry she is to all students who are hurting. She remains committed to ensuring everyone at the university feels safe and respected as we rebuild and heal this year."