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NY police cleared 30 to 40 people from inside Columbia University’s Hamilton Hall late April 30 after pro-Palestinian protesters occupied the administration building earlier in the day

May 01, 2024 09:16 am | Updated 09:32 am IST

Using a tactical vehicle, New York City police enter an upper floor of Hamilton Hall on the Columbia University campus in New York on April 30, 2024, after a building was taken over by protesters earlier in the day. | Photo Credit: AP

Large numbers of New York City police officers entered Columbia University late April 30, hours after the mayor said a pro-Palestinian protest that has crippled the Ivy League school for two weeks “must end now.”

The officers took protesters into custody after the university called in police to end the pro-Palestinian occupation on the New York campus.

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The NYPD’s move came hours after the department’s brass said officers wouldn’t enter Columbia’s campus without the college administration’s request or an imminent emergency.

Columbia’s protests earlier this month kicked off demonstrations that now span from California to Massachusetts. More than 1,000 protesters have been arrested over the last two weeks on campuses in states including Texas, Utah, Virginia, North Carolina, New Mexico, Connecticut, Louisiana, California and New Jersey, some after confrontations with police in riot gear.

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Other colleges have sought to negotiate agreements with the demonstrators in the hopes of having peaceful commencement ceremonies, that begin in May.

The nationwide campus protests began at Columbia in response to Israel’s offensive in Gaza after Hamas launched a deadly attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7.

Here are the live updates

May 01, 2024 09:23
Police in Columbia
WhatsApp Image 2024-05-01 at 09.17.37.jpeg
May 01, 2024 09:20
Police arrest Columbia students, clear occupied building in campus unrest
Dozens of helmeted police flooded Columbia University’s campus in the heart of New York City on Tuesday to evict a building occupied by pro-Palestinian student protesters and detain demonstrators.
Police climbed into Hamilton Hall via a second floor window they reached from a laddered truck, before leading handcuffed students out of the building into police vans.
The hall had been occupied at dawn by demonstrators who vowed they would fight any eviction, as they protested the soaring death toll from Israel’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
AFP
May 01, 2024 09:16
Large numbers of New York City police officers begin entering Columbia University campus
Large numbers of New York City police officers entered Columbia University late April 30, hours after the mayor said a pro-Palestinian protest that has crippled the Ivy League school for two weeks “must end now.”
The officers took protesters into custody after the university called in police to end the pro-Palestinian occupation on the New York campus.
The scene unfolded shortly after 9 p.m. as police, wearing helmets and carrying zip ties and riot shields, massed at the Ivy League university’s entrance. The demonstrators had occupied Hamilton Hall, an administration building on campus, more than 12 hours earlier, spreading their reach from an encampment elsewhere on the grounds that’s been there for nearly two weeks.
Columbia University protests: Large numbers of New York City police officers begin entering Columbia University campus
Columbia University pro-Palestinian protests: New York City police officers enter Columbia University amid pro-Palestinian protests, escalating tensions on campus.