Mayor Pitches Tent Conspiracy Theory Over NYC Campus Protest Camps

NEW YORK CITY — Identical tents at pro-Palestine encampment protests across New York City campuses serve as prime evidence of a "well-concerted organizing effort" from "outside agitators" working behind the scenes, Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday.

But where are these so-called "agitators" getting their bulk shipments of protest tents?

The same place a New York City college student would: Amazon or Five Below, for as low as $15 a pop, according to a Patch review of tents spotted at multiple campus demonstrations.

"Students on campus were telling us about how the folks outside campus (not students) were where a lot of the vitriol we are seeing is starting," a City Hall spokesperson told Patch in response to a question about the mayor's remarks.

The rep also pointed Patch to Columbia University President Minouche Shafik's Tuesday letter claiming outside protesters were “exacerbating security concerns and producing much of the incendiary language that is causing deep distress for many in our community.”

Adams isn't alone in his credence, either. NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry told Fox 5 NY on Tuesday that it was his "personal opinion," that someone is funding the encampment protests on college campuses.

"If you look at the tents, where did they all get them from?" he said. "The same place, the same person? Somebody is behind this, and we're gonna find out who it is."

At an Off Topic Tuesday news conference later that day, Adams said Daughtry made a "good point" during his remarks.

"Why is everybody’s tent the same?" Hizzoner asked. "There’s some organizing going on. There’s a well-concerted organizing effort."

Adams pointed to apparent similarities in tents across campus encampment protests, joking there must've been a "fire sale" on the items.

A quick search by a Patch reporter found that the Camel Crown tent, which has been captured repeatedly in images of Columbia's encampment protest, is listed for as low as $25 on Amazon. Another often-spotted tent, notably at NYU’s Gould Plaza, is listed for $15 on Five Below’s website.

at today's Off Topic Tuesday, Adams pointed to similarities in tents across NYC encampment protests, joking there must’ve been a “sale."

These Camel tents are among the cheapest options on Amazon and pop up 2nd and 3rd under the search term "tent." Ditto student budgets. pic.twitter.com/t8aG7B5NrY
— Nicole Rosenthal (they/them) (@ByNRosenthal) April 23, 2024

During his Off Topic Tuesday remarks, Adams also echoed suspicions expressed by NYPD and university officials — who both failed to provide any concrete examples — that violent outsiders were trying to hijack the protests.

He contended there were a "number of people" seeking to take advantage of the protest to "cause violence in our city, and we're going to seek them out and we’re going to identify them."