In the early hours of Tuesday morning, an anti-Israel mob stormed the iconic Hamilton Hall on Columbia University's Manhattan campus, barricading its doors and forcing the university to close its campus indefinitely. The protesters, demanding the university divest its financial support of Israel, become more transparent with its investments, and provide blanket amnesty to the protesting students, smashed windows, unfurled a Palestinian flag over a window, and chanted slogans such as "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" and "Palestine will live forever."
In response to the major escalation, Columbia University released a statement urging students and faculty members to avoid traveling to campus. "Effective immediately, access to the Morningside 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," the statement read. "This access restriction will remain in place until circumstances allow otherwise."
The university emphasized that the safety of every single member of the community is paramount and thanked the community for their patience, cooperation, and understanding. The only access point into and out of campus is the 116th Street and Amsterdam gate, with security personnel remaining in place at the Wien Gate for individuals requiring disability access to Wien Hall and East Campus.
According to the student newspaper Columbia Spectator, once inside Hamilton Hall, the mob began "moving metal gates to barricade the doors, blocking entrances with wooden tables and chairs, and zip-tying doors shut." Outside the building, the anti-Israel rebels formed a human barricade by linking their arms and vowing to remain until the university meets their demands.
The White House swiftly condemned the move by student protesters, with national security communications adviser John Kirby stating, "The president believes that forcibly taking over a building on campus is absolutely the wrong approach, that is not an example of peaceful protests." Kirby emphasized that hate speech and hate symbols have no place in the country and that a small percentage of students shouldn't be able to disrupt the academic experience and legitimate study for the rest of the student body.
Kirby reiterated that disrupting education for other students on campus is "unacceptable," stating, "You can't be disrupting the educational pursuit of your fellow students. They have a right to go to school and they have a right to do so safely. They have a right to get an education. Taking over a building by force is unacceptable."
When asked about President Biden's thoughts on sending in the National Guard to deal with the protests on college campuses, an idea suggested by some Republicans, Kirby stated that there is no active effort to federalize the guard. The White House maintained that dealing with the protests is up to local leaders.
The Biden administration has consistently condemned antisemitic and hate-filled rhetoric from the protests on campuses while maintaining that Americans have the right to peacefully protest. The ongoing college demonstrations across the country against Israel's handling of its war in Gaza have sparked heated debates and raised concerns about the impact on academic pursuits and campus safety.
