The New York City police (NYPD) on Tuesday raided the Columbia University and arrested dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters, according to BBC report. The university officials called in law enforcement to disperse pro-Palestinian protesters who had occupied Hamilton Hall for nearly 24 hours.
Amid shouts of ‘shame on you’, NYPD officers came in riot gear making their way into Hamilton Hall through a second-storey window using ladders and arrested dozens of demonstrators in handcuffs, ending a tense standoff that gripped the Manhattan university.
Defending the decision of calling NYPD officers, officials of Columbia University said that demonstrators’ actions led to their decision. “After the university learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalised, and blockaded, we were left with no choice,” said a university spokesman. “The decision to reach out to the NYPD was in response to the actions of the protesters, not the cause they are championing,” added the spokesman.
The protest initially sparked when students barricaded the entrance of Hamilton Hall and hoisted a Palestinian flag out of a window, symbolizing their solidarity with Palestine amidst the conflict in Gaza. However, tensions escalated as protesters refused to vacate the premises, prompting university authorities to intervene.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams emphasized the need for an end to the demonstration, alleging the infiltration of “professional outside agitators” within the protest ranks. “The demonstration at the Ivy League school must end now,” said Mayor Adams.
US President Biden said that “forcibly taking over buildings is not peaceful – it is wrong” adding that demonstrations should be peaceful.
Meanwhile, demonstrators stood firm in their demands, including divestment, financial transparency, and amnesty, as articulated by the Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) movement. “Columbia will be proud of these students in five years,” remarked Sweda Polat, a student negotiator for CUAD, expressing confidence in their cause.
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