The conflict between pro-Palestinian protesters and Columbia University administration, who have started suspending students for failing to take down tents erected on the New York campus, intensified when the demonstrators took over a building early on Tuesday.
A banner reading “Hind’s Hall” was suspended from an upper floor as demonstrators entered Hamilton Hall, the scene of student protests going back to the 1960s. Some outside erected outdoor tables in front of the entrance and joined arms to create a blockade.
“This building is liberated in honor of Hind, a six-year-old Palestinian child murdered in Gaza by the Israeli occupation forces funded by Columbia University,” a protester shouted from inside, with those outside repeating each phrase.
Israel has denied targeting civilians in its war on Hamas in Gaza, accusing the militants of hiding among them.
Minutes after the protesters gained access to the building, New York City police officers arrived outside the school gates in unmarked cars, the Columbia Spectator newspaper reported. It said police told the paper they would only enter school grounds if someone was injured.
Some three hours after students entered the Columbia building, the school sent out a notice saying that effective immediately access to the campus has been limited to students residing in residential buildings on campus and employees providing essential services.
“This access restriction will remain in place until circumstances allow otherwise,” it said. “The safety of every single member of this community is paramount. We thank you for your patience, cooperation and understanding.”
The building occupation at Columbia is at the center of Gaza-related protests roiling university campuses across the U.S. in recent weeks.
Students at dozens of campuses from California to New England have set up similar tent encampments to demonstrate their anger over the Israeli operation in Gaza and the perceived complicity of their schools in it.
The pro-Palestinian rallies have sparked intense campus debate over where school officials should draw the line between freedom of expression and hate speech.
On Monday, Columbia University began suspending pro-Palestinian student activists who refused to dismantle the protest camp on the campus after the Ivy League school declared a stalemate in talks seeking to end the demonstration.
University President Nemat Minouche Shafik said in a statement that days of negotiations between student organizers and academic leaders had failed to persuade demonstrators to remove the dozens of tents set up to express opposition to Israel’s war in Gaza.
Protesters on the Manhattan campus are demanding that Columbia meets three demands: divestment in Israel, transparency in university finances, and amnesty for students and faculty disciplined for their part in the protests.
