Columbia University on NYPD Raid: ‘We Were Left with No Choice’

TOPSHOT - NYPD officers arrest students at Columbia University in New York City on April 3
CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images
Elizabeth Weibel

Columbia University issued a statement in response to reports that officers from the New York Police Department (NYPD) had begun a raid on the campus.

“A little after 9 p.m. this evening, the NYPD arrived on campus at the University’s request,” the statement from the university said. “This decision was made to restore safety and order to our community.”

NYPD officers dressed in riot gear were recorded preparing to move into Columbia University, hours after anti-Israel protests had seized control of Hamilton Hall, an academic building on campus.

Anti-Israel protesters were captured on video smashing the glass doors of the building, bringing barricades inside, and hanging pro-Palestinian banners from the windows.

In the aftermath of the protesters’ occupation of the building, Columbia University announced that it was restricting access to the campus for the remainder of the spring semester.

The statement from the university continued:

We regret that protesters have chosen to escalate the situation through their actions. After the University learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized, and blockaded, we were left with no choice. Columbia public safety personnel were forced out of the building, and a member of our facilities team was threatened. We will not risk the safety of our community or the potential for further escalation.

NYPD officers were seen removing several protesters and making arrests.

Prior to the protesters taking over Hamilton Hall, Columbia University had given them a 2:00 p.m. deadline on Monday, of which to leave the encampment.

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