The protestors in New York City join others around the country that have been removed from college campus’s by law enforcement during their protests against Gaza Humanitarian crisis…
Hundreds of police officers in riot gear arrested dozens of pro-Palestinian demonstrators at Columbia University on Tuesday night, about 20 hours after protesters had seized a campus building. The occupation further escalated the crisis that has consumed the school and ignited student activism on dozens of campuses nationwide.
The officers broke a second-floor window to enter the occupied building, Hamilton Hall, then led demonstrators in zip ties onto law enforcement buses parked near campus. In a statement, the university said the building had been “vandalized and blockaded,” leaving administrators with “no choice” but to call the police to campus for the second time in less than two weeks.
“We will not risk the safety of our community or the potential for further escalation,” the statement added.
Columbia’s president, Nemat Shafik, said in a letter to the New York Police Department that her decision to request its intervention had been made with the support of the university’s trustees, and that the actions of demonstrators “have become a magnet for protesters outside our gates, which creates significant risk to our campus.”
She asked the police to maintain a presence on campus through at least May 17 to prevent further encampments or occupations.
What to know about Columbia:
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The latest action came nearly two weeks after the police arrested more than 100 protesters who had set up tents on the Upper Manhattan campus. Officials did not immediately say how many had been arrested on Tuesday night.
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The arrests on April 18 outraged many faculty members and students, who almost immediately pitched new tents. Since then, the encampment has grown to be larger than the original.
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The university closed the campus Tuesday to everyone but students who live there, as well as employees who provide essential services, and said it would move to expel any students who had occupied Hamilton Hall, a building with a history of student takeovers.
What’s happening elsewhere:
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Clashes over the war in Gaza continued to escalate Tuesday, with police officers pepper spraying protesters to prevent the takeover of a building at the City College of New York. Pepper spray was also used this week on demonstrators in Richmond, Va., and Austin, Texas.
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In Oregon, demonstrators who took over a library at Portland State overnight used wood pallets and other supplies to erect fortifications around the building’s entrance. University officials on Tuesday urged them to leave the library, which was covered in pro-Palestinian messages, and requested help from the police.
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Police officers moved into an encampment at U.N.C. Chapel Hill early Tuesday and arrested about 30 people, school officials said. Protesters returned later in the day, mowing down a barrier to rejoin the encampment and replacing an American flag at the center of campus with a Palestinian one.
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There were signs that the disruption might be waning elsewhere. The police managed to end the eight-day occupation of an administration building at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, and Brown students dismantled their encampment after administrators agreed to consider their demands.
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More than 1,000 protesters have been taken into custody on U.S. campuses since the original roundup at Columbia on April 18, according to a tally by The New York Times. Here’s where the arrests have happened…..
image…Members of the New York Police Department detain protesters Tuesday night. James Keivom
Update….
NYPD makes 300 arrests….
Most were NOT students…
There WAS damage to the interior of the building…
Ex-NYPD Intel Chief John Miller tells CNN that a professional protester visited the Columbia site a few days ago , before leaving the escalating situation….