Columbia University issued a statement after the school organized with the New York police to remove pro-Palestinian protesters from university buildings.
On Tuesday night, New York City police dressed in riot gear burst through the window of Hamilton Hall, which students violently took over earlier that day, to expel dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters.
Dozens of people were arrested near the building after police armed with zip ties and pepper spray burst through a window.
The raid comes after Columbia leaders asked the NYPD to come to campus “to restore order and security” following an escalation in protesters’ tactics.
In a statement, the university said: ‘Shortly after nine p.m., the NYPD arrived on campus at the university’s request. This decision was made to restore safety and order in our community.
On Tuesday night, New York City police dressed in riot gear burst through the window of Hamilton Hall, which students violently took over earlier that day, to expel dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters.
“This decision was made to restore safety and order in our community,” the school said. (Pictured: a protester being restrained by officers)
NYPS officers are seen arresting a female protester sitting on the ground with a keffiyeh around her neck.
‘We regret that the protesters have chosen to aggravate the situation with their actions. After the University learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized, and locked, we were left with no choice.
‘Columbia public safety staff were forced out of the building and a member of our facilities team was threatened. We will not risk the safety of our community or the possibility of further escalation.
‘The leadership team, including the Board of Trustees, met throughout the night and early morning, consulting with security experts and law enforcement authorities to determine the best plan to protect our students and the entire Columbia community.
The statement continues: ‘We made the decision early in the morning that this was a police matter and that the NYPD was in the best position to determine and execute an appropriate response.
‘We believe that the group that broke into and occupied the building is led by individuals who are not affiliated with the University. Unfortunately, this dangerous decision followed more than a week of what had been productive discussions with representatives of the West Lawn camp.
‘We severely reduced the number of people on the Morningside campus starting Tuesday morning. Throughout the day, we updated our community on access to campus buildings and will continue to do so over the next few days.
‘The decision to approach the NYPD was in response to the actions of the protesters, not the cause they defend. We have made it clear that campus life cannot be endlessly disrupted by protesters who violate the rules and the law.
A protester is seen through the rainy window of an NYPD bus as officers take him on after clearing him from the school building.
An encampment first emerged at the school on April 17 after the university’s president, Minouche Shafik, was hauled before Congress to address anti-Semitism on campus.
Another protester is seen with her hands behind her back and a keffiyeh around her neck as an officer escorts her.
“Early Tuesday, protesters decided to escalate an alarming and unsustainable situation, including vandalizing property, breaking doors and windows, blocking entrances, and forcing out our facilities and public safety workers, and we are responding appropriately, as we have stated. Of course I would for a long time.
“The safety of our community, especially our students, remains our top priority.”
An encampment first emerged at the school on April 17 after the university’s president, Minouche Shafik, was hauled before Congress to address anti-Semitism on campus.
Before the NYPD raid, the Ivy League said the students who occupied the building “will face suspension.”
‘Protesters were informed that their participation in the encampment violated numerous university policies. “We gave everyone in the camp the opportunity to leave peacefully.”
“By agreeing to comply with the University’s policies, they would be allowed to complete the semester.”
During a press conference just before police stormed the campus, Deputy Commissioner Rebecca Weiner warned that the protest had been co-opted by outside agitators not affiliated with the university.
He stressed that the occupation had the potential to spread to other buildings on campus, as well as to other universities across the country.
“It’s not about what’s happening abroad, it’s not about the last seven months, it’s about a very different engagement with sometimes violent protest activities as an occupation,” he said.
Protesters are seen linking arms as police officers enter Columbia University.
Members of the New York Police Department’s strategic response team advance toward the entrance to Columbia University just before the raid.
“They have no right to be on campus and this violates university policies and, most importantly, presents a danger to students, the university and communities.”
“When we look at what we saw last night, we think these tactics are a result of the guidance that these outside actors are providing to the students.”
A shelter-in-place warning was issued to students on the Morningside campus moments before officers descended.
The occupation of Hamilton Hall was the latest escalation in the unrest that has rocked the school in recent weeks.
Activists have been camped on the south lawns of the Ivy League school for 14 days.
Protesters have been demanding that the university divest from companies with ties to Israel or companies that profit from its war against Hamas.
University officials have been fighting to shut down the camp, saying it violates university policies.
Following the occupation of Hamilton Hall, Shafik warned that those involved would face expulsion.
More than 100 activists have already been arrested at the school since the camp began.
NYPD officials broke up a first encampment. But university officials had promised not to take similar measures for the current protest.
The occupants of Hamilton Hall were threatened with expulsion and could face criminal charges. (Pictured: Furniture is seen outside the windows and doors of Hamilton Hall)
Protesters at Columbia University demanded that food and water be brought to their camp so they would not “die of dehydration and hunger” during a press conference before the NYPD stormed the campus.
They gave the students an ultimatum to leave, but few followed the instructions.
“We will not leave until Columbia meets all of our demands,” one activist shouted from a balcony of the building after the takeover.
Hours before the raid, university protesters demanded that food and water be brought to their camp so as not to “die of dehydration and hunger.”
The students called for “basic humanitarian aid” to be delivered to those who illegally occupied Hamilton Hall.
A spokesperson for the protesters insisted that Columbia is still “obliged to provide food to students who pay for a meal plan.”
‘Do you want students to die of dehydration and hunger or become seriously ill even if you don’t agree with them?’ the brazen spokesperson rhetorically asked university leaders.
