By Iclal Turan
WASHINGTON (AA) - The New York City Police Department (NYPD) is investigating a possible hate crime after numerous people who took part in a pro-Palestinian rally Friday on Columbia University's campus reported they were targeted with a foul-smelling substance.
“After the Department of Public Safety received an initial complaint late Friday night, the University immediately initiated steps to investigate the incident, and has since been actively working with local and federal authorities,” Dennis A. Mitchell, Columbia’s interim provost, said in an email Monday sent to faculty and students.
“The New York City Police Department is taking the lead role in investigating what appear to have been serious crimes, possibly hate crimes,” Mitchell added.
The pro-Palestinian rally, called "Divestment now," organized by Columbia University Apartheid Divest was held at the Low Library. The rally took place following the suspension of Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace chapters.
According to The Spectator, Columbia University's campus newspaper, 12 students at the rally experienced a foul odor resembling sewage. Some reported nausea, burning eyes and damage to their belongings.
The NYPD said in a statement to BBC that it is investigating the reports related to the march, adding that no arrests have been made.
Layla Saliba, a 24-year-old Palestinian American student, told the Rolling Stone that two men at the rally referred to some protesters as "terrorists." She noted that the individuals were particularly confrontational toward students displaying signs that read "Jews for cease-fire," labeling them as "self-hating Jews."
Maryam Iqbal, 18, said protesters were sprayed with a foul-smelling liquid by at least two men, according to the same report.