Officers of the New York City Police Department swarmed the Columbia University campus on Tuesday night, retaking a school building from a group of pro-Palestine protesters and clearing out a nearby encampment that has occupied a campus lawn for nearly two weeks. NYPD officers in riot gear successfully cleared the university in less than three hours, arresting dozens of protesters in the process.
After establishing a perimeter around the university at 7:30 p.m., police began to move in around 9:00 p.m., focusing on the newly-fortified Hamilton Hall. As Valuetainment previously reported, a group of protesters forced their way into the academic building before dawn on Tuesday, then barricaded themselves inside, refusing to leave until their demands were met.
Police breached the building through a second-story window via a truck-mounted ladder, bypassing the chained door and furniture palisades surrounding the bottom floor. According to police sources, the protesters in the building gave up without significant resistance or injury to officers, students, or faculty.
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Meanwhile, other officers engaged groups of protesters at the nearby tent city where pro-Palestine activists have set up operations for the last two weeks. Columbia University had previously given students until 2 p.m. on Monday to vacate the makeshift encampment, threatening police action and academic consequences against any who remained after the deadline.
Between the encampment and Hamilton Hall, nearly 100 people were arrested. Those who participated in the camp protest could face charges of trespassing and disorderly conduct, while those who occupied the building could be charged with more serious offenses, including burglary and criminal mischief.
Related: George Soros is Funding the Anti-Israel Campus Protests
The NYPD will remain on campus until May 17 at the request of Columbia University President Minouche Shafik “to maintain order and ensure that encampments are not re-established” before the upcoming graduation ceremony.
In a letter to the NYPD, Shafik also suggested that “while the group who broke into the building includes students, it is led by individuals who are not affiliated with the University.”
Connor Walcott is a staff writer for Valuetainment.com. Follow Connor on X and look for him on VT’s “The Unusual Suspects.”
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