Hundreds of New York police officers stormed into the Columbia University grounds on Tuesday night, where campus protesters had occupied Hamilton Hall since Monday night, tying doors shut with ropes and blocking entrances with furniture.
Live footage of the event, broadcast by CNN, showed the helmeted officers met by angry protesters, shouting and chanting, outside Hamilton Hall.
Officers later used a SWAT ramp, attached to the roof of a large truck to enter the upper floors of Hamilton Hall. Activists have renamed the building “Hind’s Hall” in honour of Hind Rajab, a six-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed by Israeli tanks in Gaza as paramedics tried to rescue her.
These Columbia students face expulsion, spokesperson Ben Chang said on Tuesday. Shortly after the NYPD began entering the campus grounds, Columbia released a lengthy statement saying that it “had no choice” but to involve law enforcement.
“We regret that protesters have chosen to escalate the situation through their actions. After the University learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized, and blockaded, we were left with no choice,” the statement read.
Dozens of protesters were arrested, the NYPD said, adding that all areas had been cleared by around 11pm local time.
Columbia president Nemat Shafik has requested that the NYPD maintain a presence on the campus until May 17 – two days after the university’s graduation ceremony.
