Dozens of protesters were arrested Tuesday night after Columbia University called police to end the pro-Palestinian occupation on the Morningside Heights campus.
The scene unfolded shortly after 9 p.m. while the police, with helmets, zip ties and riot shields, gathered at the entrance of the prestigious university. Officers stormed Hamilton Hall, an administrative building on campus, to clear the structure.
Protesters had occupied Hamilton Hall late Monday night, extending their reach from a camp elsewhere on the grounds that has been there for nearly two weeks.
A statement issued by a Columbia spokesperson Tuesday night said officers arrived on campus after the university requested help.
The move came hours after NYPD chiefs said officers would not enter Columbia’s campus without a request from the university administration or an imminent emergency.
“After the University learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized, and locked down, we were left with no choice,” the school’s statement said, adding that the school’s public safety staff was forced to leave the building and a facility worker was “threatened.”
“The decision to approach the NYPD was in response to the actions of the protesters, not the cause they defend. “We have made it clear that campus life cannot be endlessly interrupted by protesters who violate the rules and the law,” the statement added.
The police action came after Mayor Eric Adams and police officials urged protesters at Columbia University to immediately leave the occupied building “before the situation worsens” at a news conference Tuesday night.
A senior police chief posted a message on social media about the NYPD operation in Columbia.
“#HAPPENING NOW: @Columbia has requested our help in reclaiming its campus, which has seen disturbing acts of violence, forms of intimidation, and destruction of property.
“@NYPDnews is dispersing the illegal encampment and people barricaded inside university buildings and restoring order.
“We are in constant communication with university officials. Our priority is and always will be public safety for everyone,” reads the message from Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry.
#HAPPENINGNOW: @Columbia has requested our assistance to take back their campus, which has seen disturbing acts of violence, forms of intimidation & destruction of property. @NYPDnews is dispersing the unlawful encampment and persons barricaded inside of university buildings… pic.twitter.com/gQUzXDUlFe
— NYPD Deputy Commissioner, Operations Kaz Daughtry (@NYPDDaughtry) May 1, 2024
Columbia University, for its part, issued a shelter-in-place order as dozens of police officers in riot gear swarmed near the campus as demonstrators continued to occupy the building in protest against the war between Israel and Hamas.
“Maybe some of the students involved don’t understand what they’re involved in,” the mayor said. “We urge those and everyone else who violates Columbia’s order to leave the area and leave the area now.”
“If you are a parent or guardian of a student, please call your child and urge them to leave the area before the situation worsens in any way,” Adams added. “This is for your own safety and the safety of others.”
Late Tuesday night there was a tense calm around Columbia University, not only because of the authorities’ warnings that the takeover of the building should end immediately, but because there was a strong police presence in the area and it was assumed that it was only a matter of minutes or hours before the uniformed officers entered the university campus.
“We cannot and will not allow what should be a peaceful gathering to become a violent spectacle that serves no purpose,” Adams said at the time. “We cannot wait until this situation becomes even more serious. This must end now.”
Adams claimed that the Columbia protests have been “co-opted by professional outside agitators.” The mayor did not provide specific evidence to support that claim, which was disputed by protest organizers and participants.
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The takeover of the building – Hamilton Hill – took place at midnight on Monday by students protesting the war between Israel and Hamas and demanding that the University stop investing in companies that have a presence or do business with Israel.
During the day, the university announced that it would begin expelling students involved in the storming of the building. He had previously announced that he would suspend students who did not leave the camp that has been set up for several days in a green area of the campus.
Several political figures such as area congressman Adriano Espaillat, or Manhattan congressman Jerry Nadler, Senator Chuck Shummer and Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, spoke out during the day about what happened, essentially pointing out that although the Students had the right to protest peacefully, the seizure of the building was “unacceptable.”
Read my statement with @RepJerryNadler on Student Unlawfulness at Columbia University. ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/JC6EIFCd5z
— Adriano Espaillat (@RepEspaillat) April 30, 2024
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