'We feel alone': Columbia student who witnessed anti-Israel protesters' building takeover speaks out
Columbia University students Jessica Schwalb and Jonas Du discuss an escalation in anti-Israel protests on the Ivy League campus after students took over a building.
After anti-Israel agitators at Columbia University took over an academic building early Tuesday morning, students and administrators alike have been left to wonder: What’s next?
At approximately 12:30 a.m., more than 100 protesters marched across the academic lawn of Columbia's Manhattan campus and invaded Hamilton Hall, an academic building used by the dean. The mob shattered windows, barricaded doors using tables and chairs, and obscured windows of the facility while continuing calls for Columbia to divest from Israel.
The crowd outside the iconic academic building, named after Revolutionary War hero and America’s Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, gave an indication as to what their next target would be.
"No divestment, no commencement," the group chanted, according to the student newspaper Columbia Spectator, referencing the university’s graduation ceremony that is currently scheduled for Wednesday, May 15.
Members of an anti-Israel mob broke into Hamilton Hall at Columbia University early Tuesday morning, April 30, 2024. (Alex Kent/Getty Images)
The students have threatened to derail the commencement and potentially force the university to cancel or postpone the ceremony.
The University of Southern California informed students earlier this week that it was canceling the university's main commencement ceremony as safety concerns mount amid anti-Israel sentiment.
On Tuesday, the protesters dialed up their demonstration by taking over an academic building and the language they used during chants and signs suggests they are not intending to end their disruptions any time soon.
According to Columbia Spectator, students draped flags and banners outside of Hamilton that read: "Gaza Calls, Columbia Falls," "Liberation Education," and "Student Intifada."
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Anti-Israel agitators barricaded themselves inside Hamilton Hall, an academic building which has been occupied in past student movements, and named it after a Palestinian child allegedly killed by the Israeli military on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in New York City. (Alex Kent/Getty Images)
The protesters said online that they plan to occupy Hamilton until "Columbia meets every one of our demands."
"Protestors have voiced their intention to remain at Hind’s Hall until Columbia concedes to CUAD’s three demands: divestment, financial transparency, and amnesty," read a statement apparently from the group, posted on X.
Agitators barricaded the doors of Hamilton Hall at Columbia University early Tuesday morning, April 30, 2024. (Getty Images/Alex Kent)
A sign displaying "Hind's Hall" hangs outside a building during the Columbia University takeover early Tuesday morning, April 30, 2024. (Getty Images/Alex Kent)
The agitators who linked arms directly outside the building echoed similar sentiments.
The shouting and chanting continued for hours, with students at approximately 2:30 a.m. adding: "No divestment, no commencement."
"We will honor all the martyrs, all the parents, mothers, fathers," protesters chanted early Tuesday morning. "We will honor all the martyrs, all the children, sons, and daughters."
Students with the Gaza solidarity encampment block the entrance of Hamilton Hall at Columbia University after taking over it on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in New York. Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine called for mobilization close to midnight. (Marco Postigo Storel via AP)
A group of Columbia University students formed a human link outside the iconic Hamilton Hall building amid continued unrest on the campus. (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)
"From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free," they echoed, and: "Palestine will live forever."
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Those protesting also chanted: "I believe that we will win."
As Hamilton Hall remained occupied through the morning, Columbia University announced that it would be restricting access to the campus and locking down additional buildings.
