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Pro-Palestinian students at Columbia University were allegedly sprayed with a chemical called skunk during a protest against Israel’s act of bombing Gaza. The incident took place last Friday, January 19. The New York Police Department began an investigation on Tuesday.
The chemical reportedly left many with irritated eyes, abdominal pain, nausea, and headaches. As per the university’s Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), eight students were taken to the hospital. Students reported the attack caused a foul smell in their hair and clothes that lasted for hours even after the protest.
NYPD’s investigation findings say the skunk chemical is developed in Israel where it is used as a weapon for crowd control. The skunk agent is most commonly found in the West Bank.
The Students for Justice in Palestine claimed two former Israeli soldiers blended in with the protesters by wearing a Palestinian headdress and sprayed the chemical. Columbia University issued a statement saying:
“The alleged perpetrators of the attack have been identified and immediately banned from campus while law enforcement’s investigation proceeds.”
Investigation launched into chemical spray incident at Columbia University
Six students filed reports with the NYPD concerning the chemical attack on Friday. However, the department has not yet made any arrests. A spokesperson said the first victim to file a report claimed to have smelled an unusual odor and started feeling nauseous. She also experienced a burning sensation in the eyes.
On Monday, Dennis Mitchell, Columbia University's interim provost sent a letter to faculty and students, writing:
“A deeply troubling incident occurred on the steps of Low Library on Friday. Numerous Columbia and Barnard students who attended a protest later reported benign sprayed with a foul-smelling substance that required students to seek medical treatment.”
Dennis added:
“We condemn in the strongest possible terms any threats or acts of violence directed toward anyone in our community.”
He said the Department of Public Safety is cooperating with the NYPD as well as the federal authorities to investigate the matter, which appears to be a possible hate crime. The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) dubbed the use of skunk on a college campus “heinous”. Referring to the incident, Afaf Nasher, the executive director of the advocacy group’s New York subdivision said:
“It is an escalation of violence launched against peaceful protesters by individuals who seek to inflict harm and undermine the principles of peaceful dialogue and dissent upheld in any democratic society.”
Since the Israel-Hamas conflict began in October of last year, several IVY League schools including Harvard and Columbia have participated in pro-Palestinian protests. They have garnered severe criticism for these protests against Israel.
Many students have also been attacked for raising their voices and promoting free speech around college campuses. Members of Columbia University’s SJP and JVP (Jewish Voice for Peace) jointly called on the institution to investigate these purported attacks on Arab and Muslim students.
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