Fury as Columbia University protesters stage insurrection-like takeover of ... trends now
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A group of anti-Israel protesters at Columbia University have seized the historic Hamilton Hall, smashing windows, unfurling an intifada banner, and are refusing to leave, with their actions being compared to the January 6 insurrection.
Protestors stormed and occupied the building on the main campus of the Manhattan university after smashing their way into the school.
The occupation came nearly 12 hours after the deadline of 2pm on Monday for protestors to leave their protest encampment or face suspension.
Due to the takeover, the school issued a stay away notice for members of staff telling them to avoid the Morningside campus on Tuesday morning.
They then limited access to the area to students residing in residential buildings on campus and essential employees only, and have yet to expel or arrest any of the students responsible.
Since footage of the takeover was shared on social media, users have been comparing the scenes to that of the January 6 riots in 2021 when Donald Trump supporters overran the US Capitol.
Outdoor furniture and ropes secure the front entrance of Hamilton Hall, which student protesters barricaded
Student protesters sit and watch outside Hamilton Hall on Tuesday morning
The occupation came nearly 12 hours after the deadline of 2pm on Monday for protestors to leave their protest encampment or face suspension
A group of students advocating for Palestine at Columbia University stage a demonstration and block the entrance of iconic Hamilton Hall. Students draped a banner that read 'Hind's Hall' in honor of Hind Rajab, 6, who died in Gaza in January
Demonstrators begin building a barricade inside of Hamilton Hall
University President Nemat Minouche Shafik said in a statement that days of negotiations between student organizers and academic leaders had failed to persuade demonstrators to remove the dozens of tents set up to express opposition to Israel's war in Gaza
Insurrectionists loyal to President Donald Trump try to break through a police barrier, Jan. 6, 2021, at the Capitol in Washington
The students stormed the building located along the South Lawn, which has been the scene of the university's anti-Israel encampment for over a week
One user posted: 'Pro-Hamas student thugs @Columbia smashed their way into Hamilton Hall and are reportedly barricading themselves inside. Looks like an insurrection to me.'
Another posted: 'Looks like a scene from Jan 6.'
'We will not leave until Columbia meets every one of our demands,' one activist screamed from a balcony in the building. The group has demanded that the university divest from Israel.
According to the Columbia Spectator, the group who made it inside the building threw their belongings aside before beginning their immediate efforts to barricade themselves inside.
Images from the mass demonstration show sleeping bags, coats, rucksacks and blankets strewn across the ground and piled up in front of doors.
The students stormed the building located along the South Lawn, which has been the scene of the university's anti-Israel encampment for over a week.
They quickly climbed the stairs, dragging down tables and chairs from classrooms which they then used to barricade the doors from the inside.
The building was locked down in less than five minutes, according to the student publication, and protesters allowed no one to enter.
New York representative Ritchie Torres reacted to video footage of protestors smashing their way into the building on social media.
The congressman added: 'So much for 'peaceful protests' at Columbia University.
'Violence is not a bug but a feature of the pro-Hamas encampment movement, which has a deep rot of Anti-Americanism and Anti-Semitism at its core.'
Pro-Palestine protestors are seen here gathering on the front steps of the hall on Tuesday morning
Since footage of the takeover was shared on social media, users have been comparing the scenes to that of the January 6 insurrection
Due to the takeover, the school issued a stay away notice for members of staff telling them to avoid the Morningside campus on Tuesday morning
Students with the Gaza solidarity encampment block the entrance of Hamilton Hall
The crackdown at Columbia, at the center of Gaza-related protests roiling university campuses across the U.S. in recent weeks, occurred as police at the University of Texas at Austin arrested dozens of students whom they doused with pepper spray at a pro-Palestinian rally
Columbia sent a letter on Monday morning warning that students who did not vacate the encampment by 2 p.m. ET and sign a form promising to abide by university policies would face suspension and become ineligible to complete the semester in good standing
The apparent 'renaming' of the building was a nod to Hind Rajab. Her body was found riddled with bullets 12 days after two paramedics from the Palestine Red Crescent Society had tried to rescue her from alleged Israeli gunfire in January. The two medics were killed moments before reaching the vehicle she was trapped in
New York representative Ritchie Torres reacted to video footage of protestors smashing their way into the building on social media
Protesters blocked security cameras inside the building with black trash bags and tape, and according to a source from within the building, at least three facility workers remained inside until 1am.
'Several individuals, including the Facilities workers, left the building around 1:10 a.m. after protesters removed the barricades blocking one door, rebolting it after the workers left,' the student paper reported.
One of the workers yelled, 'They held me hostage' as he left the building and smacked somebody's camera, according to the newspaper.
Hundreds of others gathered outside the building and some linked arms to form a human chain blocking the entrance.
'We will not leave until Columbia meets every one of our demands,' the protesters said in a directed chant.
Ben Chang, university spokesperson, said in a statement: 'Early this morning, a group of protestors occupied Hamilton Hall on the Morningside campus of Columbia University.
'The safety of every single member of this community is paramount. Access to campus has been limited to students residing in residential buildings on campus and employees who provide essential services to campus buildings, labs, and residential student life.'
Due to the limited access, students and faculty lined up to enter the campus on Tuesday but were repeatedly denied access.
Jeremy Wahl, a senior at the School of General Studies and his wife Taylor Francisco, a graduate student were denied access to the dining hall where they go to eat.
Wahl told the New York Times: 'I’m a low income student. We
