Late Monday night, anti-Israel agitators took over Hamilton Hall, a building on the campus of Columbia University in New York City. The takeover was met with swift action from the New York City Police Department (NYPD), who were granted permission by university officials to clear the building and remove the protesters.
Video footage released by the NYPD on Tuesday night showed officers in riot gear climbing ladders to enter Hamilton Hall through second-floor windows. Once inside, officers could be seen breaking into locked rooms and removing barricades that had been set up by the protesters to block entry.
NYPD Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry posted on social media confirming the police response, saying that Columbia University had requested their assistance in “taking back their campus,” which had seen “disturbing acts of violence, forms of intimidation, and destruction of property.”
According to the university, the takeover of the building was orchestrated by individuals who were not affiliated with the university, although some of the protesters involved were believed to be students. The university also stated that the protesters had vandalized university property and were trespassing.
In response to the takeover, Columbia University officials reached out to the NYPD for assistance in regaining control of the building. The decision to involve the police was made after someone entered Hamilton Hall while it was closed and then allowed others to join them inside, the university said.
The NYPD’s operation to clear the building and disperse the protesters began at around 9 p.m. Tuesday and was completed by 11 p.m. There were no injuries reported, and the police stated that there was no violence during the raid.
Sources within the NYPD have confirmed that at least four “distraction devices” were used during the operation, although tear gas was not used, contrary to some local reports. The exact number of arrests made during the raid was not immediately available.
In a letter posted on social media Tuesday night, Columbia University defended its decision to involve the NYPD and said that serious safety concerns had left them with “no choice” but to seek police assistance. The university also confirmed that the request for NYPD presence on campus would continue through at least May 17, two days past graduation.
The incident at Columbia comes amid a growing trend of anti-Israel protests and demonstrations on university campuses across the country. In recent years, activists have increasingly turned to tactics such as occupying buildings and disrupting campus events to voice their opposition to Israel’s actions and policies in the Palestinian territories.
