Columbia student newspaper calls occupation of Hamilton Hall 'historic,' paints police as the 'violent' ones
A student newspaper at Columbia University called the anti-Israel occupation of Hamilton Hall "historic" while saying "violent" police ended it.
A student newspaper at Columbia University called the anti-Israel occupation of Hamilton Hall “historic” while saying “violent” police ended it.
The comments were made in an article highlighting a podcast episode by two Columbia Spectator reporters on Tuesday, which came almost two weeks after protesters took over a building on campus and renamed it “Hind’s Hall.”
”After 12 days of occupying South Lawn, pro-Palestinian protesters escalated their operations by occupying a building on April 30. Tune in to listen to Hamilton Hall’s historic transformation into Hind’s Hall and the violent police crackdown that followed,” the article stated.
The podcast also contained a “warning” for “descriptions of police brutality.”
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The New York Police Department said that over 100 arrests were made at Columbia University, with a portion of them being students.
The Columbia Spectator reported that protesters rushed into Hamilton Hall while holding metal barricades at around 12:30 a.m. on April 30. Once inside, they used tables and chairs to block entry doors from the inside. Protesters could be heard cheering as individuals entered the building with barricades.
The individuals put black trash bags and tape over security cameras and broke windows on the door.
At 12:40 a.m., a facilities worker inside Hamilton Hall was allowed to leave, yelling “They held me hostage” to the crowd outside.
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While NYPD officers were outside, a spokesperson told the outlet at 2:12 a.m. they wouldn’t be entering. Officers in front of the campus gate said they would enter upon hearing “that someone’s gotten hurt.”
Chants of “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” and “Palestine will live forever” could be heard outside the building.
An “Intifada” banner was also hung from the top of the university building.
