A veteran activist joined Columbia protesters. Police call her a 'professional agitator.'

[SunSeeker]

As pro-Palestinian student protesters took over a building at Columbia University in New York City early Tuesday, one person in the crowd outside stood out — a gray-haired woman who delivered orders to young people helping to barricade a door.

“Tie it right to the lock,” she told two masked protesters holding zip ties, according to video posted on social media. The protesters did as they were told, using the ties on a metal table pressed against the door of Hamilton Hall. 

“Let’s give them a little cover,” the older woman told the crowd. “Cameras back. Cameras back.”

The woman was not a Columbia University student or faculty member. She, in fact, has no known affiliation to the school at all. 
She is a 63-year-old veteran activist named Lisa Fithian, whom the New York Police Department described as a “professional agitator.”

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/veteran-activist-joined-columbia-protesters-police-call-professional-a-rcna150261

[Aussie105]

1. So?

She obviously gets agitated about a lot of subjects.

No need to discount her because of that.

'Done it before, not a student,' etc - no idea why she is there, but yep, ignore her! (No, not really.)

Someone needs to interview her and ask her why she is there, but you know that's unlikely to happen.

[SunSeeker]

2. That is who Mayor Adams was referring to as leading the occupation of Hamilton Hall. nt

[betsuni]

3. Not arrested, she knows when to run away.

[SunSeeker]

4. Yup. nt

[Think. Again.]

5. Well, that's one exposed....

...and there's a few videos flying around of "professional" counter-protesters at various schools too.

Maybe when a protest is planned, the sincere organizers should set aside an area just for the outside agitators to pick on each other and add a comfortable spot for the for-profit media to set up their cameras and pretend that's the real protest they're showing to their audience.