The 13 pro-Palestine protesters were part of a bigger group of 46 who broke into the building, barricaded themselves inside and wrecked its interiors in May. It followed two weeks of campus protests against Israel's genocide in Gaza. Police later arrested the protesters after nearly 24 hours.
During the hearing at the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse, prosecutor Stephen Millan cited "prosecutorial discretion" in their decision not to move forward with charges. He argued that protesters wore masks and covered surveillance cameras, therefore, insufficient evidence existed to show that any individual defendant damaged property or injured anyone.
Moreover, Millan also cited the protesters' lack of criminal histories and the fact that no police officers were injured during the arrests. He added that the protesters would face internal discipline at Columbia.
ZeroHedge noted that 13 other protesters will have their charges dropped if they keep out of trouble for the next six months. Reports cited by the outlet said prosecutors had declined to drop trespass charges against the second group of 13 arrested inside Hamilton Hall. Two of the 13 were also Columbia students, while the other 11 had no current affiliation with the school – although most were alumni.
Bragg's office proposed the 13 accept an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal, a provision in New York law that if accepted means the case against a defendant will be dropped and sealed in six months if they are not arrested for another offense in the interim, Reuters reported.
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The 13 protesters rejected the offer via their lawyers. They are due to return to court on July 25, by which date prosecutors will need to decide whether they're willing to proceed to trial.
"All these matters are dismissed and sealed in the interest of justice," Judge Kevin McGrath announced at the end of the hearing, where dozens of defendants and their supporters appeared with keffiyeh scarves around their shoulders.
Stephen Miller decries "rigged" decision
But Stephen Miller, a senior advisor to former President Donald Trump, branded Bragg's decision to drop charges against the protesters as rigged. (Related: Jonathan Emord decries SHAM trial and RIGGED verdict against Trump in explosive new interview with Mike Adams.)
Miller shared the decision by Bragg, a progressive prosecutor elected as DA with the help of money from Hungarian globalist billionaire George Soros, on the X platform. It received negative reactions from most users.
Many of them questioned President Joe Biden's statement that "nobody is above the law." Others, meanwhile, compared the recent ruling with the cases of the Jan. 6 protesters who are currently enduring ongoing cases and jail time.
Trump was convicted in May on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. It stemmed from alleged hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in exchange for her silence over an alleged affair with the real estate mogul. Following this conviction, the former president is scheduled to be sentenced on July 11 — four days ahead of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
But even Trump himself has noted the biased and rigged nature of the hush money trial. He has repeatedly pointed to former Department of Justice official Michael Colangelo, who prosecuted the case after joining Bragg's office, as one example. Even Judge Juan Merchan, who presided the trial, is far from impartial as his daughter Loren has worked in Democratic politics.
Visit Trump.news for more news related to the ongoing legal battle the former president is fighting.
Watch the video below that talks about Bragg's recent decision to drop all charges against the Columbia protesters.
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