A group of pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University have filed a police report after they claimed two students sprayed them with a powerful stink spray.
The New York Police Department confirmed Monday that a report for assault was filed, alleging that the impacted protesters were sprayed Friday with a foul-smelling odor that caused nausea and headaches. The investigation is ongoing, the department said.
Protest organizations Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace — both of which were suspended by the university in November, sparking national outrage — claimed the spray was “Skunk,” a crowd control chemical developed by the Israeli military.
The protest groups said they had identified two people who sprayed protesters, claiming they are Columbia students who disguised themselves in traditional Palestinian keffiyeh scarves.
“Dozens of students have given us testimonies of their clothes and hair having the foul smell left on them even after the initial burst of stench at the protest. The smell only worsens and spreads after being washed,” the groups said in a social media post.