Protesters take over Columbia University building in escalation of war demonstrations
Dozens of protesters took over a building at Columbia University in New York early on Tuesday, barricading entrances and unfurling a Palestinian flag from a window in the latest escalation of demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war on college campuses nationwide. The occupation at Columbia — where protesters shrugged off an ultimatum to abandon a tent encampment on Monday or be suspended — unfolded as other universities stepped up efforts to clear out encampments.
Police swept through some campuses, spurring confrontations with protesters and plenty of arrests. In rarer instances, university officials and protest leaders have struck agreements to restrict the disruption to campus life.
And as ceasefire negotiations appeared to gain steam on Tuesday, it wasn’t clear whether those talks would inspire campus protesters to ease their efforts. Protesters on Columbia’s Manhattan campus locked arms in front of Hamilton Hall early on Tuesday and carried furniture and metal barricades to the building, among several that were occupied during a 1968 civil rights and
anti-Vietnam War protest.
Posts on an Instagram page for protest organizers shortly after midnight urged people to protect the encampment and join them at Hamilton Hall. A “Free Palestine” banner hung from a window.
“An autonomous group reclaimed Hind’s Hall, previously known as ‘Hamilton Hall,’ in honor of Hind Rajab, a martyr murdered at the hands of the genocidal Israeli state at the age of six years old,” CU Apartheid Divest posted on X. Hamilton Hall opened in 1907 and is named for Alexander Hamilton — one of the founding fathers of the US — who attended King’s College, Columbia’s original name.
The takeover occurred nearly 12 hours after Monday’s 2 p.m. deadline for the protesters to leave an encampment of around 120 tents or face suspension.
Columbia spokesperson Ben Chang said suspensions have started but he had no details. University representatives have not responded to emails requesting comment Tuesday, but the public safety department said in a statement that access to the campus was limited to students living in the residential buildings and essential employees, and that their safety “is paramount.”
There was just one access point into and out of campus.
New York Police Department Chief Jeffrey Maddrey, speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, said police won’t enter Columbia’s campus without a request from the college administration or an imminent emergency.
Protesters insisted they will remain at the hall until the university agrees to three demands: divestment, financial transparency and amnesty.