- New York City Police Department officers entered Columbia University’s Hamilton Hall wearing riot gear.
- The New York Times reported that dozens of protesters were taken to buses by police with zip ties.
- This is a developing story. Please check the latest information.
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New York City police officers in riot gear entered Columbia University’s Hamilton Hall, which had been occupied by protesters for about 20 hours, on Tuesday night, according to multiple reports.
according to new york times, NYPD entered the building using a makeshift bridge that allowed them to climb to a second-story window. CNN reported that the NYPD said it used “distraction devices” to disperse the students, but denied reports that tear gas was used.
The Times reported that dozens of protesters were led by police in zip ties to buses, many of whom shouted “Liberate Palestine” as they were driven away.
Later in the evening, the university removed protesters from the building and announced that “active activity” had ended, the paper said.
Video from student groups at the scene shows protesters being assaulted. chased off campus by police. The Washington Post reported that several police officers entered the hall with the following items: pulled out a gun.
The university asked students to shelter in place before police entered campus buildings.
Student groups had been demonstrating on campus for several days, pitching tents and encamping at the Ivy League university to protest Israel’s war on Gaza. The demands of the protests included that the university sever its economic ties with Israel.
The university’s $13.6 billion endowment includes investments in several arms manufacturers and high-tech companies that do business with the Israeli government. It says it has profited “from genocide and the military occupation of Palestine.” CNN report.
On Tuesday, protesters entered Hamilton Hall, a humanities building on the university’s Morningside Heights campus, and barricaded themselves inside.
Columbia University said in a statement that students who occupied Hamilton Hall will be expelled from the university, while students who participated in the encampment and refused to leave at the university’s direction will be suspended.
Columbia University, Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine, and the New York City Police Department did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s requests for comment.
Columbia University issued a statement Tuesday night saying it had given the New York Police Department permission to enter campus and disperse student protesters.
“We regret that the protesters chose to escalate the situation by their actions,” he added. “We believe we are in the best position to make and implement this decision,” he added. response. “
The university also said the protesters were “led by individuals not affiliated with the university.”
Reporters from Columbia’s student news station WKCR questioned the safety of the university, pointing out in a live broadcast that only Columbia ID holders are allowed on campus.
Requested by Colombian President Minouche Shafik in the letter They asked the NYPD to maintain a police presence on campus until May 17 to close down any future encampments.
At least two New York state lawmakers have spoken out against Columbia’s decision to have the NYPD forcibly remove students from Hamilton Hall.
Congressman Jamal Bowman said he was “outraged by the level of police deployment against nonviolent student protesters” at Columbia University and the City University of New York (another New York university where students have set up similar encampments). “
“As an educator who has experienced school over-policing firsthand, this is personal to me,” Bowman wrote on X.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said that if students are harmed by New York City police, the responsibility lies with President and New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who has voiced support for ending encampments at Columbia University. .
“Other leaders and schools have found safe ways to de-escalate tensions. This is contrary to leadership and puts public safety at risk. A nightmare afoot.” Ocasio-Cortez said. I wrote it to X.
Bowman and Ocasio-Cortez did not respond to requests for comment.
Mass detentions draw comparisons to past protests
History repeats itself, after journalists pointed out that on this very day 56 years ago, Columbia University brought police onto campus to disperse peaceful student protesters in Hamilton Hall. users are saying.
For each archive issue of Columbia Daily Spectator On Tuesday, April 30, 1968, New York City police officers arrested more than 700 people protesting anti-black racism and the Vietnam War on Columbia University’s campus, according to the university’s website.
This is a developing story. Please check the latest information.