New York Police Officers Clear Out Anti-Israel Protests, Including Occupied Building, on Columbia Campus

Large numbers of New York City police officers entered Columbia University late Tuesday to clear out anti-Israel protests, including an encampment and the occupation of a building on campus, hours after the mayor said the protest “must end now.” Columbia said in a statement that the NYPD had “arrived on campus at the University’s request” and that the “decision was made to restore safety and order” to the campus.The university president, Nemat “Minouche” Shafik,” has also requested that the NYPD maintain a presence on campus through May 17, two days after the school’s commencement is slated to be held, to avoid any recurrence of encampments or building occupations by protesters.The scene unfolded shortly after 9 p.m. as police, wearing helmets and carrying zip ties and riot shields, massed at the Ivy League university’s entrance. Numerous protesters were removed from the campus and taken into police custody.The protest has roiled the Ivy League school, and escalated sharply early on Tuesday morning when the demonstrators occupied Hamilton Hall, an administration and classroom building on campus. That expanded the scale of the protest from an encampment elsewhere on the grounds that’s been there for nearly two weeks.Broadcast news footage depicted NYPD officers in riot gear entering the second floor of Hamilton Hall via a ladder from a special police truck parked outside the building on Amsterdam Avenue. The hall, which was occupied by protesters early Tuesday morning, had been declared “liberated” and renamed “Hind’s Hall” after Hind Rajab, a 6-year-old Palestinian Arab who had died in Gaza during Israel’s war against Hamas.The NYPD’s move came hours after the department’s brass said officers wouldn’t enter Columbia’s campus without the college administration’s request or an imminent emergency.“We regret that protesters have chosen to escalate the situation through their actions,” the university added in its statement, noting that after learning that “Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized, and blockaded,” the administration was “left with no choice.” The university added that “We will not risk the safety of our community or the potential for further escalation,” and determined “that the NYPD were best positioned to determine and execute an appropriate response.”Columbia also released a letter from Ms. Shafik to the NYPD’s deputy commissioner for legal affairs, Michael Gerber, noting that “in light of the activities that occurred after the events of April 17-18, 2024,” the university was requesting the police department “retain a presence on campus through at least May 17, 2024 to maintain order and ensure encampments are not reestablished.”Columbia’s protests earlier this month kicked off demonstrations that now span from California to Massachusetts. As May commencement ceremonies near, administrators face added pressure to clear protesters.More than 1,000 protesters have been arrested over the last two weeks on campuses in states including Texas, Utah, Virginia, North Carolina, New Mexico, Connecticut, Louisiana, California, and New Jersey, some after confrontations with police in riot gear.“Walk away from this situation now and continue your advocacy through other means,” Mayor Adams advised the Columbia protesters on Tuesday afternoon before the police arrived. “This must end now.”The White House earlier Tuesday condemned the standoffs at Columbia and California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, where protesters had occupied two buildings until officers with batons intervened overnight and arrested 25 people. Officials estimated the northern California campus’ total damage to be upwards of $1 million.President Biden believes students occupying an academic building is “absolutely the wrong approach,” and “not an example of peaceful protest,” said the National Security Council spokesman, John Kirby.

New York Police Officers Clear Out Anti-Israel Protests, Including Occupied Building, on Columbia Campus

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