New York City Police Department Sergeant John Chell blasted pro-Palestinian activists on FOX Business Wednesday, saying their claims that the recent occupation at Columbia University was peaceful were “completely delusional.” Stated.
Chell appeared on “The Bottom Line” and spoke about the green light from Colombian authorities to take back the school’s Hamilton Hall, which was taken over by activists early Tuesday morning. Video footage from when protesters took over the building showed activists wearing black masks breaking one of the building’s glass doors and saying administrative staff were being taken hostage. There were also reports of (Related article: Colombian protesters demand ‘humanitarian aid’ provided; NYPD delivers justice instead)
“We’re seeing a lot of protests,” Duffy said. “There are a lot of peaceful protests happening for people exercising their First Amendment rights, and I’m a former prosecutor. What pains me is that these protesters and I see sympathizers claiming this is a peaceful protest, breaking windows with hammers and chains. [used], and barricaded himself in the crime of vandalizing property and destroying cameras. What do you see when you go inside? [is there] every truth [that] Was it a peaceful protest? ”
“That’s a complete delusion. When I look at the girl I was just talking to, I see a typical, no-nonsense, ‘I’m a spoiled child who broke the rules and instead of [held] I’m going to take responsibility and play the victim this time. ‘Well, we can’t do that in this town,’ Chell said.
“So we went to campus last night to police the school’s requests for law, hallway robbery, and trespassing,” Chell continued. “We went there with a very heavy heart. We wanted to send a message to the world, to this city, that ‘that doesn’t happen here.’ Our officers did a great job, no one was hurt, no incidents occurred and we sent a very strong message. ”
Late Tuesday night, NYPD officers were seen entering Hamilton Hall and arresting dozens of activists who had barricaded themselves inside the building. A statement released by a university spokesperson said the decision was made “to restore safety and order to the community.”
“We regret that protesters chose to escalate the situation by their actions. After the university learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized, and locked down, we have no choice,” the statement said. “Columbia public safety personnel were removed from the building and members of our facilities team were threatened. We will not jeopardize the safety of our community or the possibility of further escalation.”
