Hundreds of NYPD officers stormed the campus of Columbia University to take back control of a building seized by pro-Palestine protesters.
Dozens of student protesters are thought to have been detained after police were seen entering an upper storey of Hamilton Hall — renamed Hind Hall by protesters in memory of a six-year-old Palestinian girl killed in Gaza in January.
The protests at the New York university have been going on for weeks, sparking similar demonstrations at some 50 campuses across the country.
On Tuesday evening authorities at Columbia said they had no choice but to bring police in, saying Hamilton Hall “had been occupied, vandalized, and blockaded”.
Police shut down several city blocks ahead of the raid as hundreds of officers gathered outside the campus, many of them carrying zip ties.
Arrests began shortly after 9pm. Detained protesters were led away from the campus down Amsterdam Avenue to waiting police buses, some of them carried by officers.
The NYPD denied that officers used tear gas on demonstrators, saying that false reports had been ciculated online. Officers may use flashbang grenades “to deflect or surprise” protesters, CNN reported.
However, the Washington Post reported that some officers entered Hamilton Hall with their guns drawn.
Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who visited protesters at Columbia last week, tweeted a warning as the police action got under way.
She wrote: “If any kid is hurt tonight, responsibility will fall on the mayor and univ presidents. Other leaders and schools have found a safe, de-escalatory path. This is the opposite of leadership and endangers public safety. A nightmare in the making. I urge the Mayor to reverse course.”
Students shouted “Shame on you” as police officers detained protesters.
A statement issued by the university as the police action was under way read in part: “A little after 9 p.m. this evening, the NYPD arrived on campus at the University’s request. This decision was made to restore safety and order to our community.
“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. 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.”
It was reported that the president of Columbia, Minouche Shafik, had requested a police presence on the campus until 17 May, two days after graduation.
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