Activists Supporting Palestine Occupy Columbia University Building in Protest Against Gaza Conflict
In a demonstration against the ongoing conflict in Gaza, pro-Palestine demonstrators at Columbia University have taken control of Hamilton Hall, an academic building on campus. Dozens of activists initiated the occupation early on Tuesday and have since barricaded themselves inside the facility.
As of now, both the university and local law enforcement have not provided any comments regarding the situation.
Earlier, Columbia University initiated disciplinary measures, including suspensions, against students participating in a two-week encampment if they did not disperse by the specified deadline. Students were warned of potential disciplinary action if they did not vacate the premises by 14:00 EST (18:00 GMT) on Monday.
As the deadline for dispersal lapsed, a gathering of dozens of students congregated at the designated site.
Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), a prominent advocacy group, publicly declared their intention to defy the university’s order via a post on X, urging fellow activists to safeguard the encampment.
Subsequently, the group announced its occupation of Hamilton Hall, citing the historical significance of the venue, which was a focal point of student protests in 1968.
Visual evidence from the scene on Tuesday revealed the building with damaged windows, while protesters obstructed entrances with makeshift barriers of wooden tables and chairs, according to reports from the Columbia Spectator.
In a separate statement, Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) proclaimed the symbolic “reclamation” of the building in remembrance of Hind Rajab, a six-year-old girl tragically lost in Gaza earlier this year.
In the wake of the removal of a previous encampment at Columbia University, protests echoing opposition to the conflict in Gaza have unfolded across the United States in recent weeks.
Coinciding with this trend, law enforcement authorities carried out arrests and disbanded a protest camp at the University of Texas at Austin on Monday.
University officials cited non-compliance with directives to dismantle tents, with concerns heightened by the discovery of “baseball-size rocks” within the encampment.
