NEW YORK (NewsNation) — The arrest of protesting students at Columbia University’s campus by the New York Police Department is a symptom of a “moral meltdown” carried out by “military on college campuses,” said presidential candidate, activist and philosopher Dr. Cornel West.

“Anytime you have a military occupation on college campuses, it is clear that there’s been a moral meltdown and a spiritual breakdown,” West told “NewsNation Now.”

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said Wednesday that about 170 of the 280 arrested at Columbia University and City College the night before have received summonses. The remaining 100 or so cases will be making their way through the court system, with the earliest arraignments later Wednesday afternoon and into the evening.

West said the protesting students are following a tradition of activism akin to the Civil Rights Movement and Vietnam War protesters.

“If you fundamentally believe as I do, and so many of the students, that genocide is the lowest litmus test when it comes to morality and spirituality, you have to do something,” said West. “You put your body on the line, and you cast a spotlight on it so people can begin to see.”

West said the protesting students are also bringing attention to the widespread destruction of universities and education facilities in Gaza amid Israel’s war on Hamas.

“We’re talking about universities. All the universities in Gaza have been leveled,” said West. “There are thousands and thousands of students who have been murdered. Professors have been murdered. Over 100 journalists have been killed.”