On Wednesday afternoon, police officers from the New York Police Department (NYPD), wearing helmets and carrying zip ties, entered the campus of Barnard College following an anti-Israel protest that had been taking place inside the Milstein Center for Teaching and Learning, according to The Columbia Spectator.
The officers arrived around 4:50 p.m. local time, nearly four hours after pro-Palestinian Arab protesters had begun a sit-in. They proceeded to detain several individuals. As the officers approached the Milstein Center, protesters began leaving the area, and law enforcement conducted a search of the building. Using a loudspeaker, the NYPD informed demonstrators to “exit the courtyard” due to an “active bomb threat.”
The arrests came shortly after a warning from Barnard’s Vice President for Strategic Communications, Robin Levine, in the Milstein lobby around 4:15 p.m. She advised those present to evacuate due to a “bomb threat.” However, many of the protesters chose to remain in place.
As protesters continued to gather outside, NYPD officers formed a line on the north side of the lawn, slowly pushing demonstrators toward the gates. Some protesters resisted as officers moved forward, The Columbia Spectator reported.
The first two individuals were arrested on Futter Field, where officers used zip ties to restrain them. As the situation intensified, more protesters were detained, with police officers physically pulling and pushing demonstrators before subduing them. According to the report, at least six people were arrested, and at least one protester was unmasked by the police after being detained.
The NYPD has yet to provide an official confirmation of the total number of arrests.
In response to the incident, Columbia University released a statement: “We are aware of a disruption of Milstein Library at Barnard College—a separate institution from Columbia University, although it is affiliated. We are in touch with Barnard’s leadership and security team as they address the situation and will continue to monitor it closely. The disruption of academic activities is not acceptable conduct. We are committed to supporting our Columbia student body and our campus community during this challenging time.”
This event follows a similar protest from the previous week, when demonstrators stormed an academic building to protest the expulsion of two students who had previously disrupted an Israeli professor’s class earlier in the semester.
During last week’s protest, law enforcement sources reported that about 20 students stormed the building and shoved a 41-year-old security officer, who was later taken to Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital with complaints of chest pain.
These disruptions are part of a growing pattern of incidents at Columbia University linked to the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza. The university has faced mounting criticism over increasing antisemitism on campus, particularly since the Hamas massacre in Israel on October 7, 2023.
In April of the previous year, pro-Palestinian Arab demonstrators set up numerous tents on campus, calling for the university to divest from Israeli assets. In response, the university administration called in the police to dismantle the encampments. On April 30, at the request of university officials, hundreds of NYPD officers stormed the campus, gaining access to a building through a second-story window. The police arrested dozens of pro-Palestinian Arab protesters who had taken over Hamilton Hall. Before the anti-Israel protest on campus, Columbia’s Chabad rabbi and a group of Jewish students were forced to leave the campus for their own safety due to a pro-Hamas demonstration.
{Matzav.com}