In recent protests at Columbia University, City College, and Fordham University, Mayor Eric Adams pointed to “outside agitators” as the instigators, despite data suggesting a significant portion of the protesters were indeed students. This stance has sparked debate and criticism, particularly regarding the veracity of the city’s claims and the handling of the protests by the New York Police Department (NYPD).
In interviews, Mayor Adams refrained from providing specific details about the proportion of non-student protesters, though he later indicated that preliminary data showed that “over 40% of those who participated in Columbia and CUNY were not from the school.” This statement came amid arrests where approximately 30% of those detained at Columbia and 60% at City College’s Harlem campus were identified as unaffiliated with the institutions.
The discourse took a controversial turn when NYPD officials alleged the use of a chain by supposed professional agitators, a claim that was later mocked on social media due to the insignificant nature of the item—a bike lock. Furthermore, the narrative was complicated by references to individuals like Nahla Al-Arian and activist Lisa Fithian, who were labeled as influences behind the unrest.
This isn’t the first time that Mayor Adams has utilized the notion of “outside agitators”, he employed it liberally during the Black Lives Matter protests just a few years before. As we see with his constant criticisms of the Federal government, Adams has a tendency to focus on the blame game, perhaps under the assumption that it will distract from his own engagement with the issue. The trope of “outside agitators” enables him to create the specter of a boogeyman and render the public more accepting of the police intervention; the phrase paints a picture of a protest instigated by shadowy forces with calculated incentives, rather than a mass movement of students and teachers that are outraged about government inaction in relation to the mounting Gazan death-toll.
The NYPD’s approach to handling and communicating about the protests has also been fiercely criticized. Councilmember Tiffany Cabán described the arrests of student protesters as “a colossal disgrace” and “an abject failure of public safety.” This sentiment was echoed in the controversial and later deleted social media posts by NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell, which led to public backlash from other elected officials who condemned the use of an official government account to attack a fellow official.
Amidst the turmoil, Mayor Adams has continued to defend the NYPD’s use of social media, arguing that expressing opinions openly promotes transparency. “If one professor in a school — using this as a hypothetical — is instructing 50, 100 college students to do something inappropriate, that’s a bad thing,” Mayor Adams stated.
The situation reflects broader tensions about the role of law enforcement in managing protests and the political ramifications of how these events are framed by city officials. “If you’ve ever wondered what a Giuliani NYPD would look like with social media, wonder no more,” remarked Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, highlighting concerns over the aggressive policing tactics reminiscent of past administrations.
