Columbia University’s student newspaper, The Spectator, reported on Monday that an alleged Columbia alum, whose name was not given, was arrested that evening after the college’s public safety officers broke up an Israel-Gaza war protest.

A photo of the protesters, snapped by the paper’s staff photographer, showed them wearing a keffiyeh around their neck and a kippah, the Jewish head covering, on their head. But an officer removed the kippah, stating it could not be worn in the squad car.

“I think it’s quite likely that it’s because they were offended by the fact that it has a watermelon on it,” one protester said, “which, of course, is because of the colors of the Palestinian flag. That’s a reminder that they’re arresting someone who is Jewish and who is protesting a genocide.”

Read more at Newsmax© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.