ALBAWABA - As students continue to take their stance against the ongoing onslaughter in Gaza, NYPD announced arresting dozens of protestors at Columbia University and the dispersal of the weeks-long protest, where calls for divesting ties with Israel were made.
Late Tuesday, New York Police Department (NYPD) officers entered a Columbia University building occupied by pro-Palestinian protesters, with reports of mass arrests across campus.
Police entered Hamilton Hall through a second-floor window after accessing the building via a mobile ladder shortly after 9 p.m. local time. CNN broadcast footage of scores of officers in riot gear entering the facility, some carrying zip-tie shackles and heavy-duty bolt cutters.
Prior to the police entering the Hamilton building, protestors dropped a massive banner that covered a great portion of the entrance to the building with the phrase "Hind's Hall" written on it.
Protestors named the building in honor of the 6-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab, who was killed by Israeli fire after being the sole survivor as Israeli tanks targeted the car that her family used to flee Tal Al-Hawa neighborhood in Gaza.
At least one police bus carrying detained demonstrators was seen departing Columbia's campus while police operations were underway. Approximately two hours after the operation began, the building was emptied of demonstrators, and over 100 people were arrested, according to several reports.
At least one protester was dragged across the ground by a police officer. According to footage shared online by the Columbia branch of Students for Justice in Palestine, they are pulled out of view but then seen tumbling down a flight of stairs while the camera pans, obviously crying in pain.
Meanwhile, Brown University and student leaders reached an agreement on Tuesday to disband the pro-Palestinian encampment on campus until the end of the school year and to vote on their divestment demands later in the year.
Students committed to end the encampment by Tuesday evening and to "refrain from further actions that would violate Brown's conduct code through the end of the academic year," including at events such as commencement and reunion weekend, according to the university.
University President Christina H. Paxson stated in a message to the campus community that while "Brown has always prided itself on resolving differences through dialog, debate, and listening to each other," she does not support the camping because it violates university standards.
On Monday, Northwestern University reached an agreement with student protesters to remove the tents from campus. However, protests that follow university policies are permitted to continue.
