Manhattan is in chaos as hundreds of police stormed universities in a coordinated attack to clear pro-Palestinian protesters who refused to leave.
Protesters threw flares and barricaded themselves inside an administrative building at the City University of New York, about 20 blocks north of Columbia University.
NYPD officers moved in after 9:30 p.m. to disperse the crowd as flares turned the college’s famous arch red and protesters sang and waved flags in support of Gaza.
Other videos showed protesters using drills to join pieces of wood together to create a makeshift barrier as police moved in.
Students and protesters at the City College of New York also clashed with police Tuesday night as the city cracked down on pro-Palestinian demonstrators on college campuses.
Many protesters chose to leave Columbia as police surrounded the campus rather than be arrested, and walked north to CCNY to join the protest there.
Police previously cleared demonstrators at Columbia University after weeks of a tent camp protest escalated when a group took over Hamilton Hall.
Columbia, which has been the epicenter of the anti-Israel encampments that have spread across the US, saw hundreds of officers swarm the Ivy League campus and arrest dozens to stop the encampment.
Many protesters chose to leave Columbia as police surrounded the campus rather than be arrested, and walked north to CCNY to join the protest there.
Videos posted on social media showed clashes between protesters and police as arrests were made.
Police used pepper spray and against protesters, with at least one journalist caught on video in the crossfire.
“WE WILL NOT STOP, WE WILL NOT REST,” the CUNY Gaza Solidarity encampment posted on X, along with a video of protesters with flares climbing over a fence on campus.
Pro-Palestinian protesters stand outside CCNY at 139th Street and Amsterdam Avenue
Overwhelming numbers of police outside the CCNY entrance, ready to clear protesters
“As our encampments are being brutally raided by the NYPD SRG, all we can think about right now is our brothers and sisters facing impending invasions in Rafah – ALL OUT TO CCNY AND ALL EYES ON PALESTINE,” it tweeted account.
CCNY announced earlier in the day that all classes would be moved online “until further notice.”
The move was part of a broader effort by the NYPD to remove encampments on college campuses. The protests began in Columbia on April 17, when students demanded that the Ivy League university be divested from Israel.
The protests continued despite threats from universities of suspensions and expulsion. Early Tuesday morning, Columbia students forcibly took over a university building.
By evening, Columbia leaders asked the NYPD to come in and clear the protesters.
Around 9 p.m., officers stormed the university as the crowd chanted and shouted at them. Some confronted the officers and pushed barricades in an attempt to block their path.
Police used pepper spray and against protesters, with at least one journalist caught on video in the crossfire
A warning was issued to students on the Morningside campus moments before officers descended.
In a statement, the university said the decision to involve police “was made to restore safety and order to our community.”
“We regret that protesters have chosen to escalate the situation through their actions,” the statement said.
After the university learned overnight that Hamilton Hall was occupied, vandalized and blocked, we were left with no choice.
“Columbia public safety personnel were forced out of the building and a member of our facilities team was threatened. We will not jeopardize the safety of our community or the possibility of further escalation.”