Columbia says protesters have occupied Hamilton Hall. Here’s what’s happening on campus today.

NEW YORK — Columbia University says protesters occupied Hamilton Hall early Tuesday — a development demonstrators took over all through anti-Vietnam War protests in 1968.

Witnesses mentioned a big workforce of pro-Palestinian demonstrators collected out of doors the corridor sooner than a smaller workforce ran inside of and barricaded themselves in with desks, chairs and merchandising machines. Video displays them the usage of a hammer to damage home windows after which locking the doorways from the interior, as extra protesters cheered them on from out of doors. 

In a public safety advisory issued overnight, the college requested scholars and body of workers to keep away from the Morningside campus Tuesday. Classes ended Monday, and scholars will spend the following couple of days learning for his or her ultimate checks.

“Early this morning, a group of protestors occupied Hamilton Hall on the Morningside campus. In light of the protest activity on campus, members of the University community who can avoid coming to the Morningside campus today (Tuesday, April 30) should do so; essential personnel should report to work according to university policy. Please check with your supervisor if you have any questions. Be aware that access to campus and other campus buildings may be restricted,” the commentary learn partially. 

A gaggle representing the demonstrators additionally issued a news release overnight spelling out their demands.

Addressing the group in entrance of the development, one protester mentioned, “We demand that Columbia divest all of its finances, including the endowment from companies and institutions that profit from Israeli apartheid, genocide, and occupation in Palestine. … We will not stop until every single one of our demands are meant, until every single inch of Palestine is free.”  

The demonstrators unfurled a big banner from a Hamilton Hall window announcing “Free Palestine.” They additionally hung some other banner renaming it “Hind’s Hall,” after Hind Rajab, a 6-year-old Palestinian killed in Gaza 3 months in the past.

So a long way, the NYPD has no longer been known as onto campus, however officials stay stationed out of doors. The campus is non-public assets, so police can’t input and not using a asked from the management.

CBS New York’s Natalie Duddridge reported seeing a handful of cops and campus safety out of doors the Amsterdam Avenue front, in conjunction with barricades.

“The police and the media are the tools that demonstrators can use to amplify whatever the small group that’s taken over the building are doing. So police are going to be very careful with how they handle any protest, including one that’s off the campus and onto city property,” CBS News regulation enforcement contributor and previous NYPD Deputy Commissioner Richard Esposito defined.

Jessica Schwalb, a Columbia junior, advised CBS News the campus was once “lawless” and “utter anarchy” in a single day.

She mentioned demonstrators in Hamilton Hall “zip-tied the door handles together and then broke the windows, bashed the windows with hammers, and put these metal bike locks around the door handles. They put the bike lock on the first set of doors, is what I saw, and then they were bringing tables, the heavy black metal tables from the eating area that’s right in front of Hamilton Hall, and had a group of people push them up against the door handles as a barricade, and then people were also bringing furniture from Hamilton Hall to barricade inside.”

“They barricaded themselves in, they brought chairs out, blocked the doors, and they moved outdoor, heavy metal tables, blockaded the doors… formed human chains and started protesting, and claiming that they had liberated the space, essentially,” some other pupil named Jonas Du advised CBS New York. 

Until this level, the protests were restricted to the encampment on the primary garden and others on the sidewalk out of doors campus. Students CBS New York spoke with early Tuesday morning mentioned they have been surprised by way of the surprising escalation.

“Two very heroic students decided to get in front of the mob that was pushing the tables in front of each doorway at Hamilton Hall, and they were trying to almost negotiate with the mob. Then when that wasn’t working, they decided to stand there in front of each doorway and try to be the human barricade,” mentioned Schwalb.

Columbia protesters defy Monday closing date

Columbia imposed a 2 p.m. closing date Monday for the scholar protesters to dismantle their pro-Palestinian encampment. But as day was night time, many of the scholars who spoke to CBS New York mentioned they were not going any place.

Hundreds marched and rallied on campus previous within the day in toughen in their classmates, who have been camped out on the garden for almost two weeks in toughen of Palestinians.

After negotiating with protesters for a number of days, the Columbia management introduced the edges weren’t in a position to come back to an settlement. Columbia mentioned it’s going to no longer divest from Israel however did be offering to check pupil proposals and determine extra transparency for the varsity’s funding holdings.

That, on the other hand, was once no longer sufficient for the pro-Palestinian demonstrators. As the closing date got here and went, some college locked hands to offer protection to the encampment, together with Reinhold Martin, an architectural historical past professor.

“To defend their right to speak politically and peacefully,” Martin mentioned.

This all got here on the similar day some scholars filed a federal elegance motion lawsuit in opposition to Columbia, arguing it has failed to offer protection to them in opposition to antisemitism and harassment, violating its personal insurance policies.

“If they can enforce their procedures and restore campus to some sense of normalcy, then the lawsuit will go away,” legal professional Jay Edelson mentioned.

Students possibility suspension, no longer completing semester in just right status 

The Columbia management circulated a letter to scholars on Monday telling protesters in the event that they voluntarily left the encampment by way of 2 p.m. and signed a kind committing to abide by way of college insurance policies, they might be eligible to finish the semester in just right status.

If no longer, they might be suspended indefinitely, barred from finishing this semester, no longer allowed to graduate if seniors, and banned from campus and home housing.

“This movement has sparked nationwide international movement, anti-war movement across U.S. colleges and universities, national universities. So we already achieved a lot by just starting this encampment and we will remain here until all U.S. universities, especially Columbia, will divest,” pupil protest negotiator Mahmoud Khalil mentioned. “The students made it clear they’re willing to stay here as long as needed to achieve their demands.”

“They’re standing up for what is right and I’m standing up for them,” pupil Michael Ostuno mentioned of his toughen for the pro-Palestinian purpose. 

“I am happy Columbia is taking a stance to protect its Jewish and Israeli student body who have been fearful these past few weeks,” one pupil mentioned.

One pupil mentioned he got here to campus for the closing day of categories in spite of having a digital choice.

“To show I’m not afraid and growing up in Israel a big recurring theme was ‘never again’ and I don’t think Jews should be intimidated,” the scholar mentioned.

Graduation is scheduled for May 15 on the similar garden the place the encampment sits.

Similar encampment arrange at Rutgers University

Students at Rutgers University additionally arrange an encampment on the New Brunswick campus on Monday after first protecting a rally after which marching to the positioning.

They’re seeking to get the eye of the college’s Board of Governors and the Joint Committee on Investments once they felt their request for the varsity to divest from Israel was once left out at a gathering on Thursday.

Earlier this month, greater than 6,000 scholars voted in desire of a referendum calling on college directors to withdraw investments in Israel and cancel the varsity’s partnership with Tel Aviv University. More than 1,500 voted in opposition to the speculation.

There are 44,000 scholars enrolled in New Brunswick. Those who spoke to CBS New York at Monday’s rally declined to move on digital camera.

“I’m here to support our students, all of them, and to see what our students are going with, what they feel passionate about, and also, I believe in the cause, the idea of divesting being an important part to move our university toward a more moral position,” mentioned Kaiser Aslam, Muslim chaplain of the Rutgers Center for Islamic Life.

“I am Jewish and in terms of antisemitism at these rallies, I have never felt as safe anywhere as I do at these rallies. I have never felt as embraced as I do at these rallies,” mentioned Ellen Rosner, a neighborhood resident. 

Rutgers says the request is beneath evaluate and that the varsity’s president, who has no direct position within the funding procedure, has made transparent his private opposition to the boycott, divestment and sanctions motion, and his toughen for the connection with Tel Aviv University.

On Monday’s rally he mentioned, partially, “Our students want to make a difference in a struggle that has cost far too many innocent lives and that threatens so many more. I respect their right to protest in ways that do not interfere with university operations or with the ability of their fellow students to learn.”