In a late-night violent protest on Monday, April 29, (US local time), a mob of masked pro-Palestine University ‘students’ smashed their way into an academic building at Columbia University. Later, the rioters announced that they had taken over the building and draped it with a Palestinian flag. They also renamed the Iconic “Hamilton Hall” as ‘Hind’s Hall’. The building was previously named in honour of founding father Alexander Hamilton. Notably, it has a historic significance as demonstrators had taken it over during anti-Vietnam War protests in 1968.
Once inside the Hamilton Hall, Pro-Palestine rioters quickly covered security cameras with tape and black trash bags, according to the student-led Columbia Daily Spectator. Reportedly, the protesters also clashed with other students and briefly held some of the staff as hostages as well.
Regarding the recent violent protests, a statement posted by students’ groups said that protesters have “taken matters into their own hands.” They warned that the students will remain in Hamilton Hall until Columbia (University) divests financially from Israel, that is, the University drops financial ties with its Jewish backers. The group has also shared videos of the “protest” in which rows of students could be seen entering the building and carrying barricades.
As per reports, after the rioting students unraveled the banners, demonstrators raised chants of “Free Palestine,” “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” – a war cry calling for Genocide of Jewish people – and “Columbia, you will see – Palestine is almost free.”
Shocking videos, in which the ‘Students’ of the “Ivy League” could be seen indulging in violent acts have surfaced on social media. In one of these videos, a hammer-wielding rioter can be seen smashing through a glass-paneled door and placing a bike lock around its handles.
Holy…. pic.twitter.com/42Lw4kaRHY
— Jessica Schwalb (@jessicaschwalb7) April 30, 2024
An INTIFADA flag is hung from Hamilton Hall, Columbia University
— Brian BJ (@iamBrianBJ) April 30, 2024
Intifada is an armed terrorist uprising fyi. America take back control of your universities and arrest their asses. And stop the radicalisation of your youth! pic.twitter.com/pYGqdWcZoT
In another clip, the mob is seen beating up University staffers who had tried to block the rioting students from getting inside the building. As per reports, the rioters have also brandished “Intifada” signs. A large Intifada flag has been hung from Hamilton Hall, Columbia University. Pertinent to note that Intifada is Palestine’s armed action (involving terrorist acts as well) against Israel.
.@Columbia University — Organized rioters dressed in black bloc broke and entered into a campus building in Manhattan. Hamilton Hall had had been smashed up and occupied by masked far-left extremists saying they're doing it for Palestine. pic.twitter.com/ffBXmPCKxa
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) April 30, 2024
אירוע מטורף בדקות האלה באוניברסיטת קולומביה: פרו פלסטינים מנפצים שמשות ומשתלטים על בניין המילטון בקמפוס.
— נריה קראוס Neria Kraus (@NeriaKraus) April 30, 2024
אמרתי בשידורים בשבוע האחרון שהאירוע יצא משליטה. צפו ותבינו למה התכוונתי.
השעה 1:30 בלילה במנהטן. מתרחשת כאן נקודת מפנה. pic.twitter.com/6DYLKpLzDf
Meanwhile, hundreds of protesters have also swarmed outside the campus building, with some linking arms to form a human chain blocking the entrance. They demanded that they would not leave until Columbia University met each one of their demands.
US House Speaker Mike Johnson labeled the scenes an “utter disgrace” and called on the University’s president to step down. Likewise, one student described the campus as “lawless, utter anarchy”, with demonstrators breaking the building’s windows to enter, before blocking the doors with furniture.
White House condemns violent protests and takeover of the Hamilton Hall
After rioters took over Hamilton Hall in an overnight attack, the White House said that taking over campus buildings is wrong.
Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates said, “President Biden respects the right to free expression, but protests must be peaceful and lawful. Forcibly taking over buildings is not peaceful — it is wrong. And hate speech and hate symbols have no place in America.”
Bates added, “President Biden has stood against repugnant, antisemitic smears and violent rhetoric his entire life. He condemns the use of the term ‘intifada,’ as he has the other tragic and dangerous hate speech displayed in recent days.”
US rocked by violent protests across various Ivy League Universities
It is pertinent to note that violent Pro-Palestine protests have created anarchic scenes on campuses across the US in recent weeks. As per reports, the recent incident of rioting was sparked after New York police cleared an earlier encampment at Columbia University.
So far, hundreds of protestors have been arrested across the country, including dozens of protesters at the University of Texas at Austin on Monday (29th April). Officials there said protesters had ignored directions to take down their tents and that “baseball-size rocks” had been found in the encampment.
“Continuing criminal activity”: Universities urge genuine students to stay indoors
California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, a small college in Northern California, issued a shelter-in-place order for students living on campus, due to “continuing criminal activity” early Tuesday morning, according to the university’s website.
Some of the Universities have caved into violent protests and rioting by Pro-Palestinian “Students” and agreed to a settlement. As per reports, there has been a rare agreement reached in Evanston, Illinois, between Northwestern University and protesters who have camped out for days in solidarity with the Palestinians. Under the deal, the university said it would permit “peaceful demonstrations”, provided the encampment was limited to a single tent.
The epicenter of these pro-Palestinian protests, Columbia University, also advised “members of the University community” to stay away from its main Morningside Heights campus as protesters barricade themselves inside Hamilton Hall.
Meanwhile, as per US media reports, the University officials haven’t publicly said how they plan to address the latest wave of violence. It also wasn’t immediately clear if the NYPD would be called in to clear out the rioters.
Earlier, the University adopted a stern approach and it went on a mass suspension spree. It suspended Pro-Palestine students who defied Monday’s deadline to leave their two-week encampment nearby.
However, after the deadline passed, dozens of rioting students rallied at the site. The current violent demonstrations are led by two main protest groups – Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD).
After breaching the deadline, SJP vowed to defy the order in a post on X, and called on activists to “protect the encampment”. Later, the group announced the takeover of Hamilton Hall. CUAD said it had “reclaimed” the building in honour of Hind Rajab, a six-year girl who died in Gaza earlier this year.
For those unversed, Columbia University is an elite Ivy League University in Upper Manhattan, USA. Its annual tuition fees is around $90,000 (£72,000) for undergraduates, making it one of the most expensive universities in the US.
