Israel-Gaza war: New York police arrest dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University
- Police clear pro-Palestinian protesters from Columbia University’s Hamilton Hall after occupation
- Move follows almost two weeks of protests against Israel’s war in Gaza that have swept US universities
New York City police arrested dozens of pro-Palestinian demonstrators holed-up in an academic building on Columbia University campus late on Tuesday and removed a protest encampment the Ivy League school had sought to dismantle for nearly two weeks.
Shortly after police moved in, Columbia University President Minouche Shafik released a letter in which she requested police stay on campus until at least May 17 – two days after graduation – “to maintain order and ensure that encampments are not re-established”.
Within three hours the campus had been cleared of protesters, said a police spokesperson, adding “dozens” of arrests were made.
At the start of the raid around 9pm (9am Hong Kong time), throngs of helmeted police marched onto the elite campus in upper Manhattan, a focal point of student rallies that have spread to dozens of schools across the US in recent days expressing opposition to Israel’s war in Gaza.
“We’re clearing it out,” the police officers yelled.
Soon after, a long line of officers climbed into Hamilton Hall, an academic building that protesters had broken into and occupied in the early morning hours of Tuesday. Police entered through a second-storey window, using a police vehicle equipped with a ladder.