Protesters have been taken into custody after Columbia University called in New York police to end the pro-Palestinian occupation on campus. Police said the university’s Hamilton Hall was cleared of pro-Palestinian protesters who took over the building on Tuesday. The scene unfolded as officers wearing helmets and carrying zip ties and riot shields massed at the Ivy League university’s entrance. Officers breached Hamilton Hall, an administration building on campus, to clear out the structure.
“The decision to reach out to the NYPD was in response to the actions of the protesters, not the cause they are championing. “We have made it clear that the life of campus cannot be endlessly interrupted by protesters who violate the rules and the law.” More than 1000 protesters have been arrested over the past two weeks on university campuses in Texas, Utah, Virginia, North Carolina, New Mexico, Connecticut, Louisiana, California and New Jersey.