Tents are back up on Columbia University’s campus as pro-Palestinian protesters hope to reach alumni visiting this weekend. News 4’s Jessica Cunnington reports.
Pro-Palestinian protesters returned to Columbia University's campus on Friday evening to retake the school's South Lawn just weeks after dramatic action by the NYPD to clear the grounds.
Protesters returned to the lawn for the first time in weeks with a number of tents and banners in the middle of the university's alumni weekend. The protesters were identified as "an autonomous group of Palestinian students," by the Students for Justice in Palestine chapter at Columbia.
“We are aware of the encampment erected yesterday evening and are monitoring the situation. We remain committed to hosting a successful weekend for our alumni," a university spokesperson told NBC News.
According to the school's website, alumni weekend activities run from Thursday, May 30, to Saturday, June 1.
Video shared on X on Friday evening appeared to document a "quick response" by campus security to remove tents shortly after the encampment was put back together. The officers eventually left and a number of tents remained, and several protesters remained camped out overnight, the Spectator reported.
Around the same time, hundreds of protesters marched to the Brooklyn Museum and briefly took over its lobby. According to the NYPD, nearly three dozen people were taken into custody.
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 29: Demonstrators from the pro-Palestine encampment on Columbia’s Campus show a banner as they barricade themselves inside Hamilton Hall, they barricade themselves inside Hamilton Hall, an academic building which has been occupied in past student movements,, and name it after a Palestinian child allegedly killed by the Israeli military on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in New York City. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched around the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” at Columbia University as a 2 P.M. deadline to clear the encampment given to students by the university passed. The students were given a suspension warning if they do not meet the deadline. Columbia students were the first to erect an encampment in support of Palestine, with students demanding that the school divest from Israel amid the Israel-Hamas war, where more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by Alex Kent/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 30: Student protesters camp near the entrance to Hamilton Hall on the campus of Columbia University on April 30, 2024 in New York City. All classes at Columbia University have been held virtually today after school President Minouche Shafik announced a shift to online learning in response to recent campus unrest. (Photo by Mary Altaffer-Pool/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 29: Demonstrators from the pro-Palestine encampment on Columbia’s Campus barricade themselves inside Hamilton Hall, an academic building which has been occupied in past student movements, on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in New York City. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched around the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” at Columbia University as a 2 P.M. deadline to clear the encampment given to students by the university passed. The students were given a suspension warning if they do not meet the deadline. Columbia students were the first to erect an encampment in support of Palestine, with students demanding that the school divest from Israel amid the Israel-Hamas war, where more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by Alex Kent/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 30: A student protester pulls up a crate filled with foot and supplies from a balcony of Hamilton Hall on the campus of Columbia University on April 30, 2024 in New York City. All classes at Columbia University have been held virtually today after school President Minouche Shafik announced a shift to online learning in response to recent campus unrest. (Photo by Mary Altaffer-Pool/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 30: Benches and trash bins block the entrance to Hamilton Hall where some student protesters camped on the campus of Columbia University on April 30, 2024 in New York City. All classes at Columbia University have been held virtually today after school President Minouche Shafik announced a shift to online learning in response to recent campus unrest. (Photo by Mary Altaffer-Pool/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 30: Demonstrators supporting Palestinians in Gaza barricade themselves inside Hamilton Hall, an academic building which has been occupied in past student movements, on April 30, 2024 in New York City. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched as a 2 p.m. deadline to clear the encampment given to students by the university came and went. The students were given a suspension warning if they did not meet the deadline. Students at Columbia were the first from an elite college to erect an encampment, demanding that the school divest from Israel amid the Israel-Hamas war, in which more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by Alex Kent/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 30: A student protester parades a Palestinian flag outside the entrance to Hamilton Hall on the campus of Columbia University on April 30, 2024 in New York City. All classes at Columbia University have been held virtually today after school President Minouche Shafik announced a shift to online learning in response to recent campus unrest. (Photo by Mary Altaffer-Pool/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 29: A demonstrator breaks the windows of the front door of the building in order to secure a chain around it to prevent authorities from entering on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in New York City. Demonstrators from the pro-Palestine encampment on Columbia’s Campus barricade themselves inside Hamilton Hall, an academic building which has been occupied in past student movements,. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched around the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” at Columbia University as a 2 P.M. deadline to clear the encampment given to students by the university passed. The students were given a suspension warning if they do not meet the deadline. Columbia students were the first to erect an encampment in support of Palestine, with students demanding that the school divest from Israel amid the Israel-Hamas war, where more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by Alex Kent/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 30: A Student protestor drops trash in a bin where benches and trash bins block the entrance to Hamilton Hall on the campus of Columbia University on April 30, 2024 in New York City. All classes at Columbia University have been held virtually today after school President Minouche Shafik announced a shift to online learning in response to recent campus unrest. (Photo by Mary Altaffer-Pool/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 30: Student protesters camp near the entrance to Hamilton Hall on the campus of Columbia University on April 30, 2024 in New York City. All classes at Columbia University have been held virtually today after school President Minouche Shafik announced a shift to online learning in response to recent campus unrest. (Photo by Mary Altaffer-Pool/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 30: Demonstrators supporting Palestinians in Gaza barricade themselves inside Hamilton Hall, an academic building which has been occupied in past student movements, on April 30, 2024 in New York City. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched as a 2 p.m. deadline to clear the encampment given to students by the university came and went. The students were given a suspension warning if they did not meet the deadline. Students at Columbia were the first from an elite college to erect an encampment, demanding that the school divest from Israel amid the Israel-Hamas war, in which more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by Alex Kent/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 30: Demonstrators supporting Palestinians in Gaza barricade themselves inside Hamilton Hall, an academic building which has been occupied in past student movements, on April 30, 2024 in New York City. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched as a 2 p.m. deadline to clear the encampment given to students by the university came and went. The students were given a suspension warning if they did not meet the deadline. Students at Columbia were the first from an elite college to erect an encampment, demanding that the school divest from Israel amid the Israel-Hamas war, in which more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by Alex Kent/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 30: A student protester pulls up a crate filled with foot and supplies from a balcony of Hamilton Hall on the campus of Columbia University on April 30, 2024 in New York City. All classes at Columbia University have been held virtually today after school President Minouche Shafik announced a shift to online learning in response to recent campus unrest. (Photo by Mary Altaffer-Pool/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 29: A lone police officer reacts as multiple demonstrators enter into Hamilton Hall where they proceeded to barricade themselves in the academic building which has been occupied in past student movements, on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in New York City. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched around the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” at Columbia University as a 2 P.M. deadline to clear the encampment given to students by the university passed. The students were given a suspension warning if they do not meet the deadline. Columbia students were the first to erect an encampment in support of Palestine, with students demanding that the school divest from Israel amid the Israel-Hamas war, where more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by Alex Kent/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 30: Hamilton Hall is seen as people wait in line to enter Columbia University on April 30, 2024 in New York City. Columbia University has restricted access to the school’s campus to students residing in residential buildings on campus and employees who provide essential services to campus buildings after protestors took over Hamilton Hall overnight renaming it as “Hind’s Hall” in honor of Hind Rajab. The students have barricaded themselves in the building and have also erected another encampment on Lewisohn Lawn, outside Lewisohn Hall. The protesters have said they are planning to remain at the hall until the university concedes to CU Apartheid Divest’s three demands: divestment, financial transparency and amnesty. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 30: Pro-Palestinian protestors occupy space at an entrance to Hamilton Hall at Columbia University on April 30, 2024 in New York City. Columbia University has restricted access to the school’s campus to students residing in residential buildings on campus and employees who provide essential services to campus buildings after protestors took over Hamilton Hall overnight renaming it as “Hind’s Hall” in honor of Hind Rajab. The students have barricaded themselves in the building and have also erected another encampment on Lewisohn Lawn, outside Lewisohn Hall. The protesters have said they are planning to remain at the hall until the university concedes to CU Apartheid Divest’s three demands: divestment, financial transparency and amnesty. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 30: A Columbia student looks at damage to windows of a door at Hamilton Hall at Columbia University on April 30, 2024 in New York City. Columbia University has restricted access to the school’s campus to students residing in residential buildings on campus and employees who provide essential services to campus buildings after protestors took over Hamilton Hall overnight renaming it as “Hind’s Hall” in honor of Hind Rajab. The students have barricaded themselves in the building and have also erected another encampment on Lewisohn Lawn, outside Lewisohn Hall. The protesters have said they are planning to remain at the hall until the university concedes to CU Apartheid Divest’s three demands: divestment, financial transparency and amnesty. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
The action by protesters comes almost a month after the last campus occupation was broken up by a large-scale invasion by the NYPD. Heavily-geared police beached Hamilton Hall after a smaller group of protesters had stormed the building and taken it over following nearly two weeks of student occupation on the South Lawn.
Hundreds of students were arrested over the course of a couple weeks, not just at Columbia University's campus, but also at City College, NYU and others.
The April campus protests began at Columbia in response to Israel’s offensive in Gaza after Hamas launched a deadly attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7. Militants killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took roughly 250 hostages. Vowing to stamp out Hamas, Israel has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the Health Ministry there.
Chopper 4 has a view of Columbia University's lawn the day after a protest encampment was cleared by police.
Police have swept through campuses across the U.S. in response to protests calling on universities to stop doing business with Israel or companies that support the war in Gaza. There have been confrontations and more than 1,000 arrests. In rarer instances, university officials and protest leaders struck agreements to restrict the disruption to campus life and upcoming commencement ceremonies.
Despite graduation ceremonies and the end of academic instruction, many students groups have continued protests to pressure colleges to divest from companies with links to Israel.
Calls for a ceasefire in Gaza have continued as a recent Israeli airstrike killed at least 45 people last weekend in a Rafah camp. The city has become a shelter for many people forced from their homes due to months of bombings and attacks by Israel's armed forces.
