A man who burned an Israeli flag during a protest at Columbia University in 2024 is expected to pay $25 to the flag owner and do 100 hours of community service after pleading guilty to low-level crimes in a Manhattan state courtroom on Monday.
James Carlson was one of the hundreds of people arrested at campus demonstrations across New York City in the spring of 2024, as students and residents protested the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
His guilty plea comes as some New Yorkers are protesting a new war in the Middle East, following strikes from the United States and Israel on Iran and the assassination of its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khameini. It also comes just days after another round of protests at Columbia — this time in response to the immigration detention of a student in her off-campus apartment.
Carlson, 42, is an attorney, not a student or faculty member, according to the DA’s office. Prosecutors said he was charged in response to three different incidents, including the flag burning and the occupation of an academic building on Columbia’s campus.
During a protest on April 20, 2024, Carlson ignited a Jewish student’s Israeli flag, partially burning it with a lighter before the flag’s owner pulled it away, according to prosecutors. On April 30 of the same year, Carlson was part of a group arrested for unlawfully occupying Columbia’s Hamilton Hall.
After he was taken into custody that time, Carlson struck a camera in his processing cell, breaking it, according to a criminal complaint.
Carlson pleaded guilty on Monday to criminal mischief and trespassing.
He had also faced a misdemeanor arson charge and felony criminal mischief charge that were satisfied by the plea deal. He is expected to spend a year on interim probation, perform 100 hours of community service and pay the flag owner $25 in restitution.
Assistant District Attorney Ryan Falk said in court that he felt the punishment was appropriate given Carlson’s lack of prior criminal convictions. The prosecutor also said he had spoken with the flag owner, who agreed with the proposed conditions.
Carlson leaned forward with his elbows on the defense table throughout the hearing as prosecutors and his defense attorney finalized the terms of his plea agreement.
When Justice Julieta Lozano asked him if he was pleading guilty because he is, in fact, guilty, Carlson said, “Yes.” The judge informed Carlson that he must not be rearrested and permitted him to travel to Japan for a pre-planned trip this spring.
Outside the courtroom after the hearing, Carlson declined to comment on his guilty plea.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg sought the dismissal of many of the campus protest-related charges, including against 30 Columbia students and staff accused of occupying Hamilton Hall.
But Bragg continued to pursue the case against Carlson, who was accused of more serious criminal conduct.
The DA’s office was not immediately able to provide data on other pending protest-related charges.
Correction: A previous version of this story mischaracterized Carson’s initial arson charge. It was a misdemeanor, as were the charges he pleaded guilty to, and it was satisfied as part of the plea deal.
