This Tuesday, the New York Police intervened at Columbia University and arrested dozens of people after an academic building was occupied by anti-Israel agitators.
More than one hundred New York Police officers, equipped with riot gear, were deployed to the institution to disperse the students who entered Hamilton Hall in the morning and took over the building, creating barricades and blocking doors.
“We regret that protesters have chosen to escalate the situation through their actions. After the University learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized, and blockaded, we were left with no choice. Columbia public safety personnel were forced out of the building, and a member of our facilities team was threatened. We will not risk the safety of our community or the potential for further escalation,” indicates a statement from the university after having to request assistance from the NYPD to restore order.
Later, police began to take action and erected a makeshift bridge to enter through a second-floor window of Hamilton Hall at Amsterdam Avenue and West 116th Street.
In the images shared through social networks, dozens of agents entered the building, began arresting the vandals, and putting them on police buses.
The Police clarified that no tear gas was used during the operation but only “distraction devices.”
#BREAKING: NYPD officers enter building occupied by Columbia students.#ColumbiaUniversityProtest #Columbia_University #NewYorkCity #NYPD #JUSTIN #BREAKING pic.twitter.com/DvRLd5xo5b
— upuknews (@upuknews1) May 1, 2024
Joe Biden “is afraid to face the issue”
In the midst of the crisis facing Columbia University and other academic institutions across the country, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, criticized President Joe Biden for his apparent absence on this issue.
“Joe Biden is absent because he is afraid to face the issue. Meanwhile, House Republicans are leading the effort to investigate these institutions for their failure to protect Jewish students and maintain order on campus,” he said.
Amid the absolute chaos at Columbia University, Joe Biden is absent because he is afraid to face the issue.
Meanwhile, House Republicans are leading the effort to investigate these institutions for their failure to protect Jewish students and maintain order on campus. pic.twitter.com/fBtYqA38yf— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) May 1, 2024
🚨#ULTIMAHORA: Se reporta que numerosos agentes de la policía de New York, equipados con material antidisturbios, se encuentran a las afueras de la Universidad de Columbia en Manhattan
Las calles que rodean el campus han sido completamente cortadas por el Grupo de Recursos… pic.twitter.com/wJCCquXkl4
— VOZ (@VozMediaUSA) May 1, 2024
