Pro-Palestinian activists in New York who were arrested for occupying a building at Columbia University in April and were then offered deals by the district attorney have chosen not to accept the offers in solidarity with those facing harsher punishment for participating in the same protest. On Thursday afternoon, following their first court appearance for the charges in the Manhattan Criminal Court, the students, speaking about news of the 30 whose charges were dismissed (out of 46 arrested), held a short press conference by the courthouse. Surrounded by reporters and fellow students, they vo…