Hundreds of New York City Police Department officers moved onto Columbia University’s campus Tuesday night, many of them as student demonstrators continued to occupy campus buildings mostly peacefully in protest of the Israel-Hamas war. He carried a baton and was wearing riot gear.
Student protesters barricaded themselves inside Hamilton Hall early Tuesday morning, escalating after more than a week of encampments in the university’s outdoor common spaces.
Police entered the hall through a second-story window around 9:30 p.m., hours after Columbia University ordered students to shelter on campus and the NYPD asked students to remain in their dorms.
Columbia said the decision to call the NYPD was “made to restore safety and order to the community.”
“We regret that the protesters chose to escalate the situation by their actions,” a university spokesperson said. I have written. “After the university learned that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized and sealed off overnight, we had no choice.”
Tensions have been high for days at Columbia University, the site of hundreds of similar campus protests across the country against the Biden administration’s response to the Israel-Hamas war. The protests are demanding a ceasefire in the conflict, an end to military aid to Israel, and a withdrawal of universities from Israeli interests.
A university spokesperson said Columbia University believes the protesters occupying Hamilton Hall are “not affiliated with the university.” The campus has been closed to anyone without a student ID for nearly two weeks.
At a press conference early Tuesday, New York’s mayor Eric Adams (Democratic Party) argues He claimed the protests were being “exploited” and urged demonstrators to abandon the cause “before the situation worsens”.
“I encourage all students and all protesters to leave this situation now and continue their advocacy efforts through other means,” Adams said. “This has to end now.”
NYPD Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry said protesters inside Hamilton Hall could be charged with robbery, criminal mischief and trespassing, while those protesting outside the university. It added that participants could be charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct.
At least a dozen protesters were arrested Tuesday night, and video released showed protesters wearing zip ties being led onto NYPD buses. The NYPD said protesters were removed from Hamilton Hall just before 11 p.m., the Associated Press reported.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, who met with protesters earlier this week, condemned the response of the mayor and Colombian leaders, as well as the actions of police.
“If kids are hurt tonight, the blame will be placed on the mayor and the university president. Other leaders and schools have found safe ways to defuse tensions.” she wrote “This goes against leadership and puts public safety at risk. A nightmare unfolding. We urge the Mayor to change course.”
The Colombian chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) also condemned the police presence and warned of the possibility of violence.
“Columbia University faculty have spent the day offering to help defuse the situation on Columbia University’s campus, but have been denied or ignored. Our requests to return were either denied or ignored,” the chapter’s executive committee said. wrote in a statement as police gathered outside campus.
“The presence of the NYPD in our neighborhoods puts our entire community at risk. When armed police enter campus, students and everyone on campus are at risk,” the group said. continued. “We hold university leadership accountable for the disastrous errors in judgment that led us to this point.”
The AAUP chapter noted that campus rules require a faculty vote to approve the deployment of the NYPD to campus, but that did not occur.
Columbia University student-run WKCR Radio reported in an email to students that the NYPD will remain on campus until May 17th. The unprecedented police response is expected to continue after the university graduates next month.
Today marks the first police action against protesters, exactly 58 years after Columbia called on the NYPD to quell a similar occupation of Hamilton Hall to protest the Vietnam War. The university has Since being accused At the time, more than 700 people were arrested due to their own decision to call the police.
The criticism from faculty members came on the same day that Barnard College’s president faced a vote of no confidence. In the Columbia branch poll, 77% of participating faculty and staff voted against the school’s president, citing the school’s response to the protests.
Colombia has been in the political spotlight due to protests. The campus hosted visits last week from Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana), Gov. Kathy Hochul (New York), and numerous members of Congress from both sides of the aisle.
Lawmakers from both parties called on Columbia University President Minoush Shafik to resign if the protests cannot be quickly quelled.
More than 1,000 students have been arrested in similar protests across the country, some of which have resulted in violent clashes with police and counter-protesters.
A number of prominent universities responded to protests with police presence, while others allowed protest encampments to continue unchecked. Brown University announced Tuesday it was ending its protests after its board of trustees agreed to vote on the students’ proposal to sell the business.
This article was updated at 10:54 p.m.
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