NYPD officers were deployed to Columbia University late Tuesday evening and entered a building where pro-Palestinian demonstrators have barricaded themselves.
CNN’s live broadcast showed NYPD officers entering Hamilton Hall, the focal point of the protest, which had been occupied by protesters early Tuesday. Dozens of people have been arrested and loaded into buses, CNN reported.
In a statement late Tuesday, Columbia said the NYPD was brought in shortly after 9 p.m. to restore order and ensure the safety of the campus community.
“After the University learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized, and blockaded, we were left with no choice,” a university spokesman said. “Columbia public safety personnel 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 potential for further escalation.”
Further uptown, police made arrests outside City College of New York, dispersing protesters and erecting steel barricades in the area. Despite the police action, the protest encampment at Columbia remains intact, the New York Times reported.
Shortly before the clashes, Mayor Eric Adams, addressing the media alongside Rebecca Weiner, the NYPD’s deputy commissioner for intel and counterterrorism, and other police officials condemned the protesters’ actions and said the police were on standby and prepared to step in if requested by university leadership.
“We cannot and will not allow what should be a peaceful gathering to turn into a violent spectacle that serves no purpose,” said Adams. “We cannot wait till this situation becomes even more serious. This must end now.”
Adams raised alarm over the influence of “professional outside agitators” on the student-led demonstrations and warned students to leave.
Columbia officials responded swiftly on Tuesday, threatening expulsion for any student who refused to leave the occupied building. The campus has been placed under a partial lockdown, allowing access to only essential staff and some students.
“If you are a parent or guardian of a student, please call your child and urge them to leave the area before the situation escalates in any way,” Adams told reporters.
Katia Porzecanski, Bloomberg , 2024-05-01 03:53:34
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