Topline
Police officers entered Columbia University’s campus and detained dozens of people late on Tuesday night in a crackdown on pro-Palestinian protestors who had barricaded themselves inside a key university building.
Key Facts
New York Police Department officers entered Columbia’s Hamilton Hall by breaching one of its second-floor windows, and then led the protestors out with their hands bound in zip ties and boarded them onto a bus.
The police intervention came after Columbia University’s President Nemat Shafik wrote to the NYPD, alleging the demonstrators inside Hamilton Hall were “led by individuals who are not affiliated with the University” and they had “vandalized University property and are trespassing.”
Shafik’s letter said the Hamilton Hall occupation and encampments inside the University premises had become “a magnet for protesters outside our gates, which creates significant risk to our campus” and requested continued police presence “through at least May 17.”
Dozens of protestors were also arrested at the nearby City College of New York campus after clashes erupted between the police and demonstrators.
Crucial Quote
Commenting on the police action, Columbia University said: “We regret that protesters have chosen to escalate the situation through their actions…The decision to reach out to the NYPD was in response to the actions of the protesters, not the cause they are championing. We have made it clear that the life of campus cannot be endlessly interrupted by protesters who violate the rules and the law.”
Key Background
Early on Tuesday, a group of protestors broke into Hamilton Hall, which houses the university’s undergraduate admissions office. University officials responded by threatening to expel students occupying the building and accused them of trespassing and vandalizing university property. The university campus was also locked down on Tuesday, with only students living in Columbia’s on-campus residence halls and essential staff being allowed in. Previously, protestors had been given a 2 p.m. Monday deadline to clear out their encampments from the campus. The protesting students have been demanding that the university should divest from companies doing business with Israel and the Israeli military.
Further Reading
Columbia Threatens To Expel Students Occupying Hamilton Hall (Forbes)
Columbia Student Protesters Occupied The Same Building In 1968—Here’s How The Two Protests Compare So Far (Forbes)
