Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has dropped charges against 30 Columbia University pro-Palestine protesters.
Of the 46 people charged with occupying a campus building last month, 31 charges were dropped due to a “lack of evidence,” NBC News reported.
Prosecutor Stephen Millan noted there was insufficient evidence to show that the defendants damaged property or injured another individual.
Fourteen others were informed their charges would also be dropped if they avoid arrest for six months, although the individuals rejected the offer.
The remaining defendant, James Carlson, who has no affiliation with the university, has two open cases for separate charges.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, the DA’s office said they are “continuing to pursue cases” from both Columbia University and the City University of New York. “There are ongoing school disciplinary proceedings for the students who had their case dismissed,” the office added.
Jewish Community Relations Council of New York Michael Nussbaum told the New York Post that the dropped charges are “turnstile justice.”
He said the dismissals are “a green light for chaos, a green light for destroying property.”
Some condemned the dismissals on social media, with one X user writing, “Well, [Bragg] IS a @Harvard_Law grad. Maybe we shouldn’t be surprised. Birds of a feather and all that.”
Another X user said, “Impossible to ignore the fact that his office pursues political vendettas while giving actual criminals a pass.”
Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) also condemned the matter. “If he actually cared about law and order, Joe Biden would call out Alvin Bragg for this lawlessness,” he wrote on social media, adding, “The idea that Joe Biden supports the rule of law is laughable. He has done more to destroy our justice system than any President in history.”
