Students and protestors at City College of New York also clashed with police on Tuesday night as the city cracked down on pro-Palestine protestors at college campuses.
NYPD officers made their presence felt throughout Manhattan as officers flooded the blocks near the island’s campuses to break up various protests.
Columbia, which was the epicenter for the anti-Israel encampments that have spread across the US, saw hundreds of cops flood the Ivy League campus and dozens arrested to stop the encampment.
About 20 blocks north, at City College of New York – part of the City University of New York system – a similar scene unfolded with cops and students clashing. Some lit flares under the City College’s famed arches, igniting the night sky red as protestors chanted and waved flags in support of Gaza.
‘WE WILL NOT STOP WE WILL NOT REST,’ the CUNY Gaza Solidarity Encampment posted on X along with video of protestors with flares climbing a fence on the campus.
Students and protestors at City College of New York also clashed with police on Tuesday night as the city cracked down on pro-Palestine protestors at college campuses
‘As our encampments are being raided by NYPD SRG with brutal force, all we can think about at this time is our brothers and sisters facing imminent invasions in Rafah- ALL OUT TO CCNY AND ALL EYES ON PALESTINE,’ the account tweeted.
Videos posted on social media showed skirmishes between the protestors and police as arrests were made.
The move was part of a wider NYPD effort to remove encampments at college campuses. The protests started on April 17 at Columbia, as students demanded the Ivy League university divest from Israel.
The protests carried on despite university threats of suspensions and expulsion. Early Tuesday morning, Columbia students violently took over a university building.
By the evening, Columbia leaders asked the NYPD to come in and clear out the protestors.
Pro-Palestine protesters are outside CCNY at 139th Street & Amsterdam Avenue
Around 9pm, officers stormed the university as the crowd chanted and yelled at them, some confronted the officers and pushed barricades to try and block their path.
A shelter in place warning was issued to students on Morningside campus in the moments before officers descended.
In a statement, the university said the decision to call in police was, ‘made to restore safety and order to our community’.
‘We regret that protesters have chosen to escalate the situation through their actions,’ the statement read.
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.’
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