Columbia University faculty ‘horrified’ by mass arrests of student protesters

Columbia University faculty say they are “horrified” by Tuesday night’s arrests of students by New York police following the occupation of an academic building, Hamilton Hall, by students protesting for the university to divest from Israel.

Just after 9.30pm on Tuesday night, NYPD buses parked outside the hall were filled with arrested students who were transported away from campus.

Bassam Khawaja, a lecturer at Columbia law school, said on Wednesday that he was “horrified to see Columbia invite police onto our campus for the second time this month to arrest our students”.

“Columbia has chosen escalation at every turn here, with disastrous results,” Khawaja said. “The administration said that the protests were a disruption and presented safety risks, but it is the administration itself that has disrupted campus life by locking us out, relocating or postponing students’ exams, bringing in police to arrest students, and inviting police to remain on campus for the next two weeks until graduation.”

On Wednesday, outside the entrance to Hamilton Hall, a crowd of students gathered to hear faculty members express anger.

“We are in the right side of history. Shame on our leaders, shame on our administrators, for allowing the police onto our campus. The US is part of this war [in Gaza], it’s our taxes, our bombs, our F-15s and Apache helicopters being used to kill Palestinians,” said Rashid Khalidi, a Palestinian American historian and professor of modern Arab studies at Columbia.

He added: “What we witnessed last night in terms of police repression is a fraction of what Palestinians have experienced for 56 years.”

Jennifer Wenzel, a Columbia English professor, said: “When I saw that police ‘tank’ coming up the street, something in my heart broke. I stood and sobbed. The trustees had broken their compact with the university and I do not know it will come back. It did not have to happen this way. We had rules, institutions and procedures set up in the wake of 68 and they chose to throw all of that away.”

Later on Wednesday, Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg said during a press conference that 280 arrests had been made at the Columbia and City University of New York, or Cuny, campuses. Bragg declined to say how many of those arrested were students and how many were “outside agitators”, as described by New York mayor Eric Adams and the New York police department.

“We do not have a breakdown of that yet. It is something we will learn as we proceed but do not have that at this time,” Bragg said.

In contrast with university administration and city officials, professors and the student-run campus radio station WKCR said there were only students inside the occupied academic building.

Faculty and non-resident students have been prevented from entering campus since Tuesday, when the Gaza Solidarity protest encampment that had been set up on Columbia’s main lawn for nearly two weeks was raided by the NYPD and dismantled.

The press had been barred from entering campus during the dramatic occupation, prompting students at Columbia’s journalism school to set up a makeshift newsroom at Pulitzer Hall, an academic building where the coveted Pulitzer prizes are awarded, which is located across the lawn from Hamilton Hall.

In an email sent to the journalism school’s students and faculty, Dean Jelani Cobb wrote: “Last night’s events demanded the most from Columbia Journalism School. But we saw in real time how reporters’ dedication to the truth helps all of us understand what is at stake during a time of crisis.

“I want to extend my gratitude towards the faculty and staff who worked tirelessly into the late night in order to ensure our students’ safety, and their continued access to campus.”

Cobb told the journalism students: “You are a part of history now. Your perseverance during a confusing and challenging moment cannot be understated. You told the stories the global public deserved to hear. You helped the School to meet its mission.”

Emily Byrski was one of the graduate journalism students working in Pulitzer Hall during the time of the occupation and subsequent arrests. She said she “just threw stuff in a bag and sprinted to campus” upon hearing about the occupation of Hamilton Hall.

“It has been exhilarating, intense and terrifying all at the same time,” Byrski said, adding that she slept a mere three hours on Tuesday night.

“All of the professors came together. Everyone showed out in force. It was truly incredible.”

WKCR ran a live broadcast of the evening and eventually also took refuge in Pulitzer Hall.

Cobb said in his email that at around 10pm, those who remained in Pulitzer were instructed to stay inside, or risk arrest.

“No one was allowed to enter or leave campus,” Cobb said.

Cobb added: “It was truly inspiring to see our faculty and our students, shoulder to shoulder, covering a national news story that emerged on our doorstep.”

Ed Helmore contributed to this report