Wild NYPD bodycam video shows Columbia anti-Israel protesters confronting cops inside Hamilton Hall: ‘You’re gonna get hurt’

Ronny Reyes
·4 min read
New bodycam video shows the short-lived confrontation inside Columbia University on Tuesday night after anti-Israel protesters fronted up to NYPD cops after they breached Hamilton Hall and deployed flashbang stun grenades.
New bodycam video shows the short-lived confrontation inside Columbia University on Tuesday night after anti-Israel protesters fronted up to NYPD cops after they breached Hamilton Hall and deployed flashbang stun grenades.

New bodycam video shows the short-lived confrontation inside Columbia University on Tuesday night after anti-Israel protesters fronted up to NYPD cops after they breached Hamilton Hall and deployed flashbang stun grenades.

One ski mask-clad rioter appeared to have a makeshift shield duct-taped to his arm as he attempted to block officers from the city’s specially trained Emergency Service Unit.

“Put it down, you’re gonna get hurt,” the cop said, as he pushed the protester to the floor.

The video reveals for the first time the layers of barricades the cops had to hack through — with “jaws of life” cutters, electric saws and blow torches.

The protesters pulled up tables, chairs and garbage cans and used bicycle chains in an effort to lock themselves inside the building.

NYPD officers used torches to cut through metal chains set up by protesters barricaded inside Columbia University’s Hamilton Hall. New York City Police Department
NYPD officers used torches to cut through metal chains set up by protesters barricaded inside Columbia University’s Hamilton Hall. New York City Police Department
A group of protesters surrounded by metal tables and trash cans made up the first layer of the barricade. New York City Police Department
A group of protesters surrounded by metal tables and trash cans made up the first layer of the barricade. New York City Police Department

Hamilton Hall, of course, was also the site of another famous protest — the 1968 takeover by black students who renamed the building “Malcolm X Liberation College” to protest both the Vietnam War and the construction of a Columbia gymnasium in Harlem that the students claimed would effectively be segregated.

The officers came across multiple mountains of chairs and tables, with the final lawyer chained together to block the entrance. New York City Police Department
The officers came across multiple mountains of chairs and tables, with the final lawyer chained together to block the entrance. New York City Police Department
The officers then breached the entrance and confronted protesters wearing head scarfs. New York City Police Department
The officers then breached the entrance and confronted protesters wearing head scarfs. New York City Police Department

The cops had to cut, burn and rip through layers of barricades — including mountains of chairs, trash cans, metal tables and chains — to reach anti-Israel protesters who locked themselves inside Columbia University’s Hamilton Hall, new NYPD bodycam video shows.

The footage from the raid, which ended with more than 100 people being arrested — nearly half of whom were not affiliated with Columbia — opened with NYPD cops arriving at the occupied hall as protesters stood behind metal tables, linking arms while singing, “We shall not be moved.”

But moved they were.

  • Not affiliated with school: 13

  • Students at affiliated institutions: 6

  • Undergrad students: 14

  • Grad students: 9

  • Columbia employees: 2

After moving obstacles piled outside, cops were confronted with chains binding the front doors shut. An officer pulled out a blowtorch and set the chains ablaze as sparks flew.

The police let the torch burn again, making quick work of the lock this time.

After opening the second set of doors, the police were greeted with yet another set of barricades, consisting of a mountain of chairs and tables linked by a chained metal fence.

As officers worked to cut an opening, one of them can be heard shouting, “Flash bang, over! Let’s deploy a flash bang.”

Police wrestled some protesters who refused to stay seated. New York City Police Department
Police wrestled some protesters who refused to stay seated. New York City Police Department
Footage from inside the hall shows the types of barricades students built to keep police from entering. New York City Police Department
Footage from inside the hall shows the types of barricades students built to keep police from entering. New York City Police Department

Meanwhile, the protesters on the other side could be heard shouting, “Free! Free Palestine!”

After the NYPD took down the final layer of barricades, a group of protesters wearing head scarves approached them with signs in hand.

Cops warned them to sit down. When the protesters refused, officers charged.

The protesters continued to chant, “Free Palestine” as police secured the building. New York City Police Department
The protesters continued to chant, “Free Palestine” as police secured the building. New York City Police Department

One of the demonstrators was seen trying to shove cops away from his friend, who fell backwards on the stairs.

The rest of the protesters continued to chant and link arms as the cops took them into custody and worked to secure the rest of the building.

A total of 109 people were arrested during Tuesday night’s operation, with those inside Hamilton Hall charged with burglary, trespassing and criminal mischief.

Police have yet to release any bodycam video that shows their initial breach into the building, which was conducted using a massive armored vehicle that allowed access through a second-floor window.