Video taken from a New York City police officer’s body-worn camera shows authorities forcing their way into a Columbia University building occupied by anti-Israel protesters this week.
Video shows the moment NYPD officers wearing hazmat suits entered Hamilton Hall, where protesters had barricaded themselves Tuesday night.
Protesters can be heard singing “We will not be moved” outside the building as police move towards it.
Many of the protesters were not students at the university but outside agitators, NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Public Affairs Tariq Shepherd told Your World Cavuto on Thursday.
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NYPD officers entered Columbia University’s Hamilton Hall on Tuesday night and entered the building, which had been occupied by anti-Israel demonstrators. (New York City Police Department)
“They’re professionals. They might fly in for a day or two and leave right away. You’ll see them traveling all over the country, and they have the funds. ” he said.
“Students are already passionate and upset about an issue, and now someone’s whispering in their ear, ‘Hey, you know, we should take over the building,’ or something like that.” Shepard added. “When young minds are in that state, it’s very easy to be influenced by someone who is a professional manipulator.”
Body camera footage shows officers using tools to open the front door of Hamilton Hall, where chairs were stacked from the inside.
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Once inside, the officers encountered a man-made barrier that looked like furniture and required a saw to cut through it. From outside, demonstrators can be heard shouting, “Free Palestine! Free Palestine!”
At one point, an officer said, “Let’s fire a flashbang,” followed by a loud explosion. After breaking through the fence, the officers made contact with the protesters, who were sitting inside the room where they were being held.
Shepard said authorities only allowed protesters to be removed from campus if the university formally requested assistance, and that several universities in the city had told the NYPD that they had not been able to do so since at least May. He added that they have been asked to remain on campus until the middle of the year.
Anti-Israel demonstrators inside Hamilton Hall. (New York City Police Department)
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“That’s what a lot of them are asking for. What we’re asking is for them to have a plan to become independent. But we’re not going to leave them and we’re not going to leave campus. I don’t want it to go back to the way it was, either,” he said.
