Videos Of Columbia University Raid Show NYPD Arrest Protesters

Police in riot gear stormed a Columbia University building and forcefully arrested pro-Palestinian protesters on Tuesday, videos posted online appear to show.

The protesters had occupied Hamilton Hall, an academic building, in the early hours of Tuesday morning in an escalation of the demonstrations against Israel's war in Gaza.

Hundreds of New York Police Department officers entered Columbia's campus on Tuesday night, with photos and videos showing them using a tactical vehicle to enter an upper floor of Hamilton Hall through a window.

Officers used hammers to gain entry into some rooms and drew weapons as they entered, according to videos posted on X, formerly Twitter, by NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry.

Videos posted online showed officers shoving and dragging protesters. One protester could be seen falling down a set of steps outside Hamilton Hall.

The Columbia Daily Spectator student newspaper reported that one protester lay unmoving on the ground outside Hamilton Hall as officers stood over them, before three officers carried that person away from the building.

NYPD spokesperson Carlos Nieves told press sources he had no immediate reports of any injuries. Newsweek has contacted the NYPD for further comment via email.

A statement from a Columbia spokesperson said officers entered the campus shortly after 9 p.m. at the university's request. "After the university learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized, and blockaded, we were left with no choice," the spokesperson said.

The decision to bring in the NYPD "was in response to the actions of the protesters, not the cause they are championing," the spokesperson added. "We have made it clear that the life of campus cannot be endlessly interrupted by protesters who violate the rules and the law."

In a letter to NYPD Deputy Commissioner Michael Gerber, Columbia President Minouche Shafik said the university was requesting that police remove protesters from Hamilton Hall and an encampment on the campus "with the utmost regret."

Her letter requested the NYPD's presence on campus through at least May 17, the end of the university's commencement events, to "maintain order and ensure encampments are not re-established."

Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), the group behind the encampment, wrote on X that the university administration "would rather militarize its community than divest from the genocidal State of Israel."

The Columbia chapter of the American Association of University Professors condemned the decision to call in police, saying that the university's administration has repeatedly ignored faculty's efforts to help defuse the situation.

"Armed police entering our campus places students and everyone else on campus at risk," a statement said. "That is why University statutes require consultation with faculty—statutes which appear to have been ignored since April 17, and again tonight. We hold University leadership responsible for the disastrous lapses of judgment that have gotten us to this point. The University President, her senior staff, and the Board of Trustees will bear responsibility for any injuries that may occur during any police action on our campus."

Student protesters set up a "Gaza Solidarity Encampment" on Columbia's campus almost two weeks ago, called on the university to cut financial ties to Israel and companies they say are profiting from Israel's offensive in Gaza.

It began after Hamas launched a deadly attack on southern Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking roughly 250 hostages. Since then, Israel has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in Gaza, The Associated Press reported, citing the local health ministry.

Columbia officials called in police to clear the encampment a day after it was set up. More than 100 protesters were arrested, but the students soon returned to rebuild the encampment and inspired students across the country to set up similar encampments.

After negotiations between Columbia officials and the protesters broke down, the school set a Monday afternoon deadline for protesters to leave the encampment or be suspended.

Protesters defied the ultimatum and occupied Hamilton Hall early Tuesday, renaming the building Hind's Hall in honor of Hind Rajab, a 6-year-old Palestinian girl who was found dead, after reportedly making pleas for help to first responders, during Israel's offensive in Gaza. They said they would remain in the building until their demands for divestment, financial transparency and amnesty were met.

In the past two weeks, police have swept through several other campuses, leading to more than 1,000 arrests nationwide. But in some cases, universities have come to agreements with protesters.

The events at Columbia on Tuesday came on the 56th anniversary of a similar clearing of an occupation of Hamilton Hall by civil rights and anti-Vietnam War protesters in 1968.

And they unfolded as the NYPD was also called in to quell protests at The City College of New York, part of the City University of New York (CUNY) system. Videos showed protesters in a standoff with officers outside the college's main gate, just blocks away from Columbia, and officers shoving some as they cleared people from the street and sidewalks.

In a statement, CUNY said that a large crowd of demonstrators had marched from Columbia University to the City College campus.

CUNY public safety staff handled the initial response, arresting 25 individuals, the statement said, but "as the crowd grew in size, CUNY and CCNY leadership made the difficult decision to request NYPD assistance." The NYPD arrested "a number of individuals," the statement added.

In a message to the college community, City College President Vince Boudreau said all campus operations would be online from Wednesday until further notice.

Updated 5/1/24, 4 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.

Correction 5/1/24, 8:58 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with a correction to Columbia University Apartheid Divest's name.