Hundreds of policemen they entered the Columbia University of New York to disperse the pro-Palestinian protesters who had taken possession of a building on the campus and, in effect, frozen the university’s activities. The break-in took place from a window on the second floor of a building after a request for intervention was made from the same structure. Hamilton Hall, occupied in recent hours by students, has been vacated. Similar intervention also at City College, also in New York. Both operations led to the overall arrest of over one hundred activists.
Police intervention
The budget speaks of dozens and dozens of arrests, mostly occurring at Columbia University. Among those arrested there are around twenty demonstrators who had tried to prevent the officers from entering. “We regret that the protesters chose to escalate the situation through their actions. After the University learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized and boarded up, we were left with no choice” the police spokesperson said in a statement released by CNN.
“Columbia Public Safety personnel – continued the statement – was forced to leave the building and a member of our facilities team was threatened. We will not risk the safety of our community for any further escalation“. In one video, police are seen climbing a ladder to enter Hamilton Hall and take the students away. The university had previously told the students to leave or, if they did not, they would all be expelled from the school. The officers of the New York Police Department (NYPD) were then allowed to enter the campus from university authorities, after the demonstrators had chosen not to disperse. There CNN reports of demonstrators handcuffed and forced onto police buses.
The eviction of Columbia University
Columbia made it known that after the room was “occupied, vandalized and blocked, we were left with no other choice“. In a letter to the New York police, the president of the university Minouche Shafik wrote that he requested police help”with the utmost regret“. In any case, second CBS News the agents used explosive grenades to “disorientate the demonstrators” at the beginning of the raid. Some students said that the police, dressed in riot gearallegedly beat up those present as he stormed the building.
The Deputy Commissioner for Public Information of the NYPD, Carlos Nieves, defended the officers. He said the students had “barricaded“the doors of Hamilton Hall with”conference tables, chairs or drinks dispensers“. He stated that they had also blocked the windows with newspapers so that the officers “they couldn’t see“. The BBC reported that several police buses were seen leaving the scene, presumably filled with protesters.
In a letter made public, Columbia University’s top leader asked the NYPD to maintain a presence on campus.”at least until May 17th 2024” For “maintain order and ensure that no new occupation is created“.
Columbia, a prestigious university in Manhattan, appeared to be theepicenter of a national movement in the United States in support of the Palestinian cause and against Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip.
