NYPD remains on Columbia campus; schools brace for more protests

(NewsNation) — Schools are bracing for more possible protests after hundreds of protesters have been arrested across the country.

The New York Police Department is still present at Columbia University, having been asked to stay until May 17, 2024, to make sure pro-Palestine encampments don’t come back on the campus.

New bodycam video showed the police clearing out Hamilton Hall, which had been occupied by protesters who used chairs and furniture to barricade themselves inside. The video shows the moment police broke through the barriers and began arresting people.

Before police moved in, they said there was cause for real concern as they saw furniture being used as barricades, cameras destroyed and some in the group encouraging de-arresting techniques.

The university asked for officers to remain until it gets through commencement.

Columbia isn’t the only protest site NYPD officers are monitoring, either. Not far from Columbia, another pro-Palestine protest and encampment happened at Fordham Univerity’s Manhattan campus.

People in tents moved into one of the buildings on campus and police showed up in riot gear to try to disperse the crowd. Protesters did eventually leave peacefully with no clashes with police.

Officials at both universities, along with New York City Mayor Eric Adams, have blamed some of the activity on outside agitators.

Fordham’s president said in a statement: “Hundreds of protesters came from elsewhere, drawn by social media invitations to support a few protesters on the other side of the window. The growing crowd outside banged on the glass so violently we worried they would break it. We worried that the protesters would rush further into campus.”

Protesters have pushed back against the narrative of outside agitators, saying it is being used to discredit the movement.

Early reports from police suggest that 70% of those arrested were students, though that number may shift as they process more information.

The protests have spread across the country, with police clashing with protesters at Yale, the University of California, Los Angeles, Dartmouth, Portland State University, Tulane University and the University of Texas at Austin, among others.

Protests at Columbia remained peaceful on Wednesday and into Thursday morning, but there is still an NYPD presence throughout the city as schools wait to see what happens next.