NYPD Officers Remove Palestinian Flag, Raise American Flag After Evicting Protesters at City College

New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers, including high-ranking officials, removed a Palestinian flag and raised an American flag after evicting protesters from an encampment at City College in Harlem, New York City. The incident, captured on video posted by the NYPD's Deputy Commissioner for Operations, Kaz Daughtry, shows a plainclothes officer tearing down the Palestinian flag and handing it to another officer, who then tosses it to the ground. Daughtry and the NYPD's Deputy Commissioner for Public Information, Tarik Sheppard, then participate in raising the American flag in its place.

The NYPD officials described the moment as an "incredible scene" and a "proud moment" as they assisted City College in "restoring order on campus." The action was part of a larger operation that resulted in approximately 300 people being detained during demonstrations at Columbia University and City College, with 109 arrests at Columbia and 173 at City College. Officials referred to the protesters who were not affiliated with the schools as "outside agitators."

At Columbia, police in riot gear forced protesters out of a campus plaza and blocked them inside adjoining buildings. At City College, officers arrested demonstrators at an encampment on the Harlem campus. The university administrations had requested the NYPD to restore order and safety on the campuses. Politicians, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, condemned the arrests, while former President Donald Trump praised the NYPD's response.

Mayor Eric Adams expressed his disapproval of another country's flag being flown on New York City buildings, stating that it "peeved" him because his uncle died defending America. The mayor defended the officers' actions, saying it was "despicable" for schools to allow another country's flag to fly in the U.S.

Why this matters: The incident highlights the ongoing tensions surrounding pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses and the NYPD's aggressive response to such demonstrations. It also raises concerns about the politicization of the NYPD and its role in protecting free speech.

The campus sweeps marked the culmination of two weeks of demonstrations at New York City college campuses and beyond. The occupation and protests at Columbia had been ongoing for weeks, with the university president finally calling in the NYPD to restore order and safety to the campus. As a result of the disturbances, which included protesters firing off flares and attempting to break into campus buildings, City College announced that all campus operations would be moved online until further notice.

Key Takeaways

• NYPD removed Palestinian flag, raised American flag at CCNY protest
• NYPD detained ~300 protesters, arrested 109 at Columbia, 173 at CCNY
• Mayor Adams criticized flying another country's flag on NYC buildings
• Protests at NYC colleges led to campus operations moving online
• Incident highlights tensions over pro-Palestinian protests and NYPD response