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Lois Beckett (now); Gloria Oladipo, Léonie Chao-Fong, Chris Michael and Jonathan Yerushalmy (earlier)

Top New York prosecutor says 280 people arrested at campus protests; independent review into UCLA violence – as it happened

Columbia (Organization) Police University United Nations Columbia University New York NYPD Jamaal Bowman Hamilton Hall (Facility) The New York Times
Police amass on the UCLA campus on Wednesday amid criticism of their handling of clashes between counter-protesters and pro-Palestinian protest groups.
Police amass on the UCLA campus on Wednesday amid criticism of their handling of clashes between counter-protesters and pro-Palestinian protest groups. Photograph: Jae C Hong/AP

Closing summary

We’re now closing this blog – but you can follow all the latest news and reaction from campus protests across the US in our new live blog:

Here’s what happened earlier today:

  • Dallas officers arrested at least 19 people when they cleared a protest encampment at the University of Texas campus in the city on Wednesday afternoon.

  • Michael Drake, the president of the University of California system, has ordered an independent review of the UCLA administration’s planning, after a late-night attack on a pro-Palestinian student encampment resulted in at least 15 people being injured, the Los Angeles Times reports.

  • Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney, confirmed that 280 people on the Columbia University and Cuny campuses had been arrested on Tuesday. Bragg has not confirmed reports from city and police officials that “outside agitators” had infiltrated student-led protests.

  • Cuny students with the university’s Gaza Solidarity encampment criticized New York police officers for their “brutal and spineless” arrests of protesters. “We will not be intimidated by these brutal and spineless tactics … We will not stop until these demands are met,” read a statement from students posted on social media.

  • California governor Gavin Newsom condemned the violence at UCLA. Posting on X, he criticized the “limited and delayed” law enforcement response on Tuesday night, describing it as “unacceptable”.

  • UCLA cancelled all classes on Wednesday after counter-demonstrators attacked pro-Palestine protesters overnight. “Due to the distress caused by the violence that took place on Royce Quad late last night and early this morning, all classes are cancelled today,” read a statement from the university.

  • Minouche Shafik, the Columbia University president, sent an email following the use of New York police to lead mass arrests at Tuesday’s protests on campus. In the email sent Wednesday, Shafik said that NYPD had been used because “students and outside activists [were] breaking Hamilton Hall doors, mistreating our Public Safety officers and maintenance staff, and damaging property ... ”.

  • New York police said the wife of a man convicted of terrorism was not at protests on Columbia’s campus on Tuesday, walking back claims from city and police officials. NYPD deputy commissioner Rebecca Weiner said the woman, who has yet to be publicly identified, was not a part of any protests last night and that police “have no evidence of any criminal wrongdoing on her part”, the New York Daily News reported.

  • At least one high school started their own encampment in solidarity with university students at Columbia and beyond, according to a flyer from students at Iowa City’s City high.

  • Police tore down encampments at the University of Wisconsin, Madison early on Wednesday, in yet another crackdown on a peaceful student protest. Several protesters, mostly students, were detained by police.

Updated

Report: At least 19 people arrested at University of Texas, Dallas

After a pro-Palestinian protest encampment was cleared this afternoon at the University of Texas at Dallas, at least 19 people were arrested, according to a local news channel, which said it was unclear whether all those arrested were students.

Updated

15 people injured, one hospitalized, as “instigators” attack UCLA

University of California president Michael Drake says 15 people were injured, including one who was hospitalized, during “a protest that turned violent”, the Associated Press reports.

Updated

Anger on Dallas campus after Texas state troopers clear pro-Palestine protest camp

At the University of Texas at Dallas, state troopers have cleared a protest encampment, the Associated Press and the BBC report.

“The effect of the state troopers has utterly changed the mood. There’s a lot of anger now, and chants of ‘shame on you’, ‘where were you in Uvalde’ and ‘why are you in riot gear’ are now echoing in Dallas,” BBC reporter Tom Bateman writes.

Updated

Columbia students’ final exams will be administered remotely, campus announces

In the wake of mass arrests at Columbia, the university “is strongly encouraging students to leave campus and go home early for the semester”, the Associated Press reported:

The Provost at Columbia University in New York says all final exams and any remaining class sessions should be held remotely for students at its Morningside Heights campus. Any papers, projects or presentations due this week also are being delayed until next week.

The university has been paralyzed by demonstrations, and police have cleared out a building that had been occupied by anti-war protesters.

The university’s student newspaper reported the news earlier in the day:

Updated

UCLA chancellor denounces 'instigators' who attacked pro-Palestinian students

In a press release, the head of the University of California at Los Angeles called the people who attacked a pro-Palestinian student encampment last night “a group of instigators” who came to campus to carry out an “utterly unacceptable” physical attack.

“No one at this university should have to encounter such violence,” Gene Block wrote, urging those who experienced violence to make a report to the university police department, whose lack of intervention during the attack has been widely condemned, including by California’s governor.

He also said the attack “may lead to arrests, expulsions and dismissals”.

A university spokesperson did not respond to requests to confirm how many people, including UCLA students, had been injured during the attack. The Los Angeles Times reported that the number of injured people was unclear, and that early estimates ranged from 15 to 25 people.

From Block’s statement:

Late last night, a group of instigators came to Royce Quad to forcefully attack the encampment that has been established there to advocate for Palestinian rights. Physical violence ensued, and our campus requested support from external law enforcement agencies to help end this appalling assault, quell the fighting and protect our community.

However one feels about the encampment, this attack on our students, faculty and community members was utterly unacceptable. It has shaken our campus to its core and – adding to other abhorrent incidents that we have witnessed and that have circulated on social media over the past several days – further damaged our community’s sense of security.

… We are still gathering information about the attack on the encampment last night, and I can assure you that we will conduct a thorough investigation that may lead to arrests, expulsions and dismissals. We are also carefully examining our own security processes in light of recent events. To help in these efforts, I urge those who have experienced violence to report what they encountered to UCPD, and those who have faced discrimination to contact the Civil Rights Office. We are grateful for the support of law enforcement and their efforts to investigate these incidents.

Updated

What will commencement speakers do as universities crack down on student protests?

It’s May. More than a thousand people across the country have already been arrested as pro-Palestinian campus protests spread across the United States.

The Americans scheduled to give inspiring commencement addresses at the universities where students are being jailed are starting to respond.

Yesterday, two commencement speakers scheduled to address law students at the City University of New York reportedly withdrew from the event. One, ACLU president Deborah Archer, explained why:

Updated

There’s another standoff between police and demonstrators in the heart of Manhattan this evening, with students at Fordham University’s pro-Palestinian solidarity encampment preparing for arrests by the police.

You can follow Fordham’s student newspaper for up-to-the-minute updates:

Updated

After violent UCLA attack, University of California orders independent review

The Los Angeles Times reports that Michael Drake, the president of the University of California system, has ordered an independent review of the UCLA administration’s planning, after a late-night attack on a pro-Palestinian student encampment resulted in at least 15 people being injured.

Among the most essential questions from the perspective of faculty members, David Myers, a UCLA professor of Jewish history, said, was: “Where were the police?”

Updated

Blame game begins over law enforcement failures during violent attacks at UCLA

This is Lois Beckett, picking up our live news coverage from Los Angeles.

Earlier today, the office of California governor Gavin Newsom publicly condemned an “unacceptable” campus law enforcement response after masked counter-protesters attacked a pro-Palestinian encampment on UCLA’s campus, sparking hours of uninterrupted violence and frantic messages from students at the encampment who said that police had abandoned them.

News outlets on the ground reported that attacks on the pro-Palestinian student encampment continued from 11pm to 3am, with security guards and campus law enforcement retreating or failing to intervene. Newsom’s office called this response “limited and delayed” and said it “demands answers”.

The law enforcement agencies involved are not being quick to provide those answers. A spokesperson for the Los Angeles police department deferred all comment to UCLA’s campus police department, saying it was the “lead agency” at the incident.

UCLA’s campus police, who according to UCLA’s student newspaper arrived on scene and then retreated within minutes, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. UCLA’s press office also did not respond to questions from the Guardian about the law enforcement delays.

Initial reporting on the ground suggested that many different law enforcement agencies failed to stop the middle-of-the-night attacks. While officers from multiple local and state law enforcement agencies eventually arrived on scene close to 2am, police in riot gear were present for at least an hour while violence continued right in front of them, and they did not intervene, the Los Angeles Times and CalMatters reported.

Updated

This day so far

College campuses across the US are roiling after police waged mass arrests against peaceful, pro-Palestine protesters.

Here’s a glimpse of what has happened so far:

  • Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney, confirmed that 280 people on the Columbia University and Cuny campuses had been arrested on Tuesday. Bragg has not confirmed reports from city and police officials that “outside agitators” had infiltrated student-led protests.

  • Cuny students with the university’s Gaza Solidarity encampment criticized New York police officers for their “brutal and spineless” arrests of protesters. “We will not be intimidated by these brutal and spineless tactics … We will not stop until these demands are met,” read a statement from students posted on social media.

  • California governor Gavin Newsom condemned the violence at UCLA. Posting on X, he criticized the “limited and delayed” law enforcement response on Tuesday night, describing it as “unacceptable”.

  • UCLA cancelled all classes on Wednesday after counter-demonstrators attacked pro-Palestine protestors overnight. “Due to the distress caused by the violence that took place on Royce Quad late last night and early this morning, all classes are cancelled today,” read a statement from the university.

  • Minouche Shafik, the Columbia University president, sent an email following the use of New York police to lead mass arrests at Tuesday’s protests on campus. In the email sent Wednesday, Shafik said that NYPD had been used because “students and outside activists [were] breaking Hamilton Hall doors, mistreating our Public Safety officers and maintenance staff, and damaging property ... ”.

  • New York police said the wife of a man convicted of terrorism was not at protests on Columbia’s campus on Tuesday, walking back claims from city and police officials. NYPD deputy commissioner Rebecca Weiner said the woman, who has yet to be publicly identified, was not a part of any protests last night and that police “have no evidence of any criminal wrongdoing on her part”, the New York Daily News reported.

  • At least one high school started their own encampment in solidarity with university students at Columbia and beyond, according to a flyer from students at Iowa City’s City high.

  • Police tore down encampments at the University of Wisconsin, Madison early on Wednesday, in yet another crackdown on a peaceful student protest. Several protesters, mostly students, were detained by police.

My colleague on the west coast will be taking over coverage of protests and reactions across the country.

Thank you for reading!

Updated

Bragg added that his office has not determined how many arrested protesters are “outside agitators”, as city and police officials have alleged.

Bragg said that part of the DA’s investigation will be to identify those arrested and that the student status of protesters is “certainly something we will learn as we proceed”.

Updated

Manhattan DA says about 280 people arrested at New York campus protests

Alvin Bragg said that approximately 280 people had been arrested between protests at Columbia University and the City University of New York, or Cuny.

“There were approximately 280 total arrests from these two events,” the Manhattan DA confirmed during Wednesday’s press conference.

About 100 arrests are desk-appearance tickets or for charges that will be “making their way through the system”, Bragg said.

“As my office does … we will look carefully at each individual case on our docket and make decisions based on the facts and the law,” Bragg added.

Bragg said that part of the DA’s investigation will include looking at body-camera footage from Tuesday and interviewing witnesses.

Earliest arraignments for individuals will take place either later in the afternoon or in the evening, Bragg confirmed.

Updated

Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg to hold press conference after mass arrests

The Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, will be speaking at a press conference about the mass arrests of pro-Palestinian protesters on New York City campuses shortly.

Stay tuned for further updates.

Updated

Cuny students with the university’s Gaza Solidarity Encampment group have criticized New York police officers for their “brutal and spineless” arrests of protesters.

In a statement posted to X, student protesters say the encampments were peaceful and “engaged in craft workshops, teach-ins and choir performances” earlier in the day.

The students voted unanimously to remain in the encampments overnight.

The students then say that the Cuny president, Vincent G Boudreau, requested NYPD officers, who “viciously attacked” demonstrators.

“Police broke the ankle of an undergraduate student, broke the teeth of two protesters, attacked and burned many students, faculty and at least one journalist with pepper spray at close range, and beat many more with batons,” the student group said in the statement.

The student group added: “We will not be intimidated by these brutal and spineless tactics … We will not stop until these demands are met.”

Updated

Shawn Fain, president of the United Auto Workers union, has called for the release of students who have been arrested.

In a series of posts to X, Fain said the UAW “will never support the mass arrest or intimidation of those exercising their right to protest, strike, or speak out against injustice”, adding:

Our union has been calling for a ceasefire for six months. This war is wrong, and this response against students and academic workers, many of them UAW members, is wrong.

Updated

Classes remain cancelled at Portland State University in Oregon as a number of protesters continued to occupy a university library on Wednesday.

The university’s president, Ann Cudd, said the administration plans for “a return to classes and regular university operations as soon as possible”.

Protesters began occupying the library on Monday night, and have been warned by university leaders and city officials to leave or face possible charges. About 50 people left the library overnight after the administration offered not to seek criminal charges, expulsion or other discipline, AP reported.

“I urge anyone in the campus community who is able to communicate with friends, family or colleagues inside the Library, to encourage them to leave,” Cudd wrote in an email to university staff and students on Tuesday.

We are trying our best to keep everyone safe while ending this unlawful occupation of our library.

Updated

California governor Gavin Newsom condemns violence at UCLA

Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, has condemned the violence at UCLA last night. Posting to X, he wrote:

The law is clear: The right to free speech does not extend to inciting violence, vandalism, or lawlessness on campus. Those who engage in illegal behavior must be held accountable for their actions – including through criminal prosecution, suspension, or expulsion.

A statement from his press office criticized the “limited and delayed” law enforcement response on Tuesday night, describing it as “unacceptable”.

Updated

Jared Hoffmann, a Jewish student at the City College of New York, studying documentary filmmaking, said:

The protesters are here in support of the encampment, for SJP, Students for Justice in Palestine and I suspect they’re protesting the brutality of the war in Gaza.

[The students] certainly have strong convictions … a feeling that Zionism itself is aligned with all of the brutal oppressive powers on Earth and various political structures and they consider this an unjust war beyond any sort of any doubt.

I don’t think there’s been an enormous amount of antisemitism, but certainly you can feel within some of the anger and the zealotry of the protesters that there’s a particular zeal to protest against Israel that you might not feel in other protests. It’s a little easier to lump Israel in with KKK and the NYPD as oppressive forces perhaps and that’s connected to some antisemitism.

Eliana Basher, 19, a Jewish BA student in international studies at City University of New York said:

I’m a student. I’m here in solidarity to support the Palestinian Liberation Movement. I’m also a half-Jewish person and I’ve seen what Zionism does firsthand and how it twists the minds of individuals to make them believe that they are superior just because of the fact that they are Jewish. All these corporations in America, they are funding a genocide and I will not have my hands dirty.

Some people think that because you’re Jewish … you’re not going to be safe in these spaces but I really don’t think that’s true whatsoever. I think this is a space for everyone, Jewish, Muslim, Christian, whoever you are, white, Black, it doesn’t matter. If you are here to support this movement, you are here and that’s that.

Cuny, [are] are very obviously hoping that this ends today … they’re hoping that this will be the last of it and that we won’t try again but we’re not going to back down.

[Campus administrators] totally just disregard the fact that there’s been 30,000 or 40,000 Palestinian people killed, and they prioritize the lives of the hostages instead. Death is death. It’s all violence.

Updated

The Guardian’s Amana Fontanella-Khan spoke to a City University of New York protester, Sam Hernandez, who spoke about why she attended an action in solidarity with students.

Students are making a fair demand that the school divest from genocide. They used the police to shut them down. I saw people shoved and pushed by cops.

I haven’t seen any politicians support us and the media coverage has been biased. They want to make the protesters look like they are wrong. If you are paying tuition, you should have a right to say how your money is used. We all have a say. We all pay taxes. Standing up for what’s right isn’t a crime.”

Updated

At University of Wisconsin, Madison, police arrested scores of protesters who demonstrated against what a UN expert, students and politicians have called a genocide in Gaza.

Here are photos showing the police presence on campus:

Updated

The Guardian’s Dani Anguiano is on UCLA’s campus, speaking with students about attacks on pro-Palestinian demonstrators yesterday.

UCLA students who witnessed the moments leading up to a violent attack on pro-Palestinian protesters described a harrowing scene.

A large group of counter-protesters wearing black with white masks made their way to an encampment and began striking students with planks of wood and pepper spray, Daniel Harris, a student at the school, said on Wednesday morning.

The fourth-year student had been observing the protests in recent days and said they were largely peaceful until the violence overnight.

It was surreal seeing the masked counter-protesters march through campus, he said.

“This is stuff that only happens in movies,” he said he thought at the time.

Meghna Mair, a second-year undergraduate who said she took part in pro-Palestinian protests last week, also witnessed the masked group march through campus on their way to the encampment.

“I knew where they were going,” she said. “I didn’t know what to do. I was so sickened and horrified.”

Updated

The UCLA’s Students for Justice in Palestine have issued a statement following protesters being attacked by counter-demonstrators on Wednesday.

Protesters on UCLA’s campus have been demonstrating against what students and a UN expert have called a genocide. More than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel’s attacks in Gaza, a series of military offensives that many have called a genocide.

In a Wednesday press release, the student group wrote: “The life-threatening assault we face tonight is nothing less than a horrifying, despicable act of terror. For over seven hours, zionist aggressors hurled gas canisters, sprayed pepper spray, and threw fireworks and bricks into our encampment.”

Students added that counter-protesters broke down barriers “in an attempt to kill our community”.

The student group added: “The university’s hypocrisy [is] all too apparent, as signs of this escalation were reported, documented, and indicated early on … the university would rather see us dead than divest.”

Read the full post here.

Updated

Here’s the Guardian’s Dani Anguiano, who is reporting from UCLA’s campus.

The mood was tense around UCLA’s tree-lined campus on Wednesday, following violent clashes between protesters overnight.

A helicopter hovered overhead while groups of security guards and law enforcement stood around a sectioned off area of campus filled with tents.

Students slowed as they passed the barricades, taking in the scene.

“I think all of us are in a state of shock because of the violence,” said Noah, a UCLA law student who only felt comfortable using their first name.

Updated

UCLA cancels all classes after violence on campus

UCLA has cancelled classes for the day, after counter-protesters attacked demonstrators who were protesting against the Israel-Gaza war.

In a post to the UCLA community, school officials wrote:

Due to the distress caused by the violence that took place on Royce Quad late last night and early this morning, all classes are cancelled today.

The hospital and health system, the Luskin Conference Center, and PreK-12 schools remain open. Please avoid the Royce Quad area.

Royce Hall remains closed through Friday, and students should watch for notifications from their instructors with information about class locations when classes resume. Powell Library is also closed and is scheduled to reopen on Monday. We have law enforcement presence stationed throughout campus to help promote safety. Student Affairs will have essential staff on campus to support our students who have been impacted by this tragedy.

Updated

The Guardian’s Amana Fontanella-Khan spoke to a Cuny faculty member at yesterday’s protest who shared why they attended an action in solidarity with students.


Vinny Djugashvili, who teaches at Cuny, said: “I’m here because it’s the only decent and reasonable thing to do.”

Asked whether he worries about professional reprisals, he says: “I’d rather not be unemployed. But if it’s between a job and conscience, you have to choose conscience every time.”

“The most amazing thing is that the students – who are mostly led by women – pose such a threat to these institutions. You have to ask what this is really about. They say it’s about antisemitism. They say it’s about freedom of speech. If you’ve been on the encampment, there were so many people of Jewish background who were there. It’s a multi-racial encampment. They say that all genocides must end. All occupations must end. That threatens something very essential to how this system works. These students have hit on something essential. These students are the most inspiring people I’ve met. I’m honored to stand by them.”

Updated

Columbia president says protesters were 'damaging property' in email defending police action

Columbia University president Minouche Shafik has sent a new email following the use of New York police to lead mass arrests at Tuesday’s protests on campus.

In an email sent Wednesday, Shafik said that New York police were used as “students and outside activists [were] breaking Hamilton Hall doors, mistreating our Public Safety officers and maintenance staff, and damaging property...”.

Shafik said, in part:

Over the last few months, we have been patient in tolerating unauthorized demonstrations, including the encampment. Our academic leaders spent eight days engaging over long hours in serious dialogue in good faith with protest representatives. I thank them for their tireless effort. The University offered to consider new proposals on divestment and shareholder activism, to review access to our dual degree programs and global centers, to reaffirm our commitment to free speech, and to launch educational and health programs in Gaza and the West Bank. Some other universities have achieved agreement on similar proposals.

Our efforts to find a solution went into Tuesday evening, but regrettably, we were unable to come to resolution. Because my first responsibility is safety, with the support of the University’s Trustees, I made the decision to ask the New York City Police Department to intervene to end the occupation of Hamilton Hall and dismantle the main encampment along with a new, smaller encampment. These actions were completed Tuesday night, and I thank the NYPD for their incredible professionalism and support.

New York mayor Eric Adams said about 300 people were arrested across New York campuses on Tuesday night.

Updated

Wife of convicted terrorist was not at Columbia University protests on Tuesday, despite claims from New York mayor

New York police (NYPD) are now saying the wife of a man convicted of terrorism was not at protests on Columbia’s campus on Tuesday, walking back repeated claims.

NYPD deputy commissioner Rebecca Weiner said the woman, who has yet to be publicly identified, was not apart of any protests last night, New York Daily News reported.

The New York mayor, Eric Adams, claimed that the woman was arrested along with other protesters last night, an accusation that is now being discredited.

Weiner said that the unidentified woman was on Columbia’s campus last week and that police “have no evidence of any criminal wrongdoing on her part”.

From New York Daily News reporter Chris Sommerfeldt:

Updated

Eric Adams: 300 people arrested for pro-Palestinian protests

Approximately 300 people were arrested on Columbia and Cuny’s campuses on Tuesday for participating in protests against what a UN expert has called a genocide in Gaza, the New York mayor, Eric Adams, said during a Wednesday press conference.

Adams said that the arrests were made as police cleared encampments at both campuses.

One hundred and nine arrests took place at Columbia and 173 at Cuny, CBS News reported.

Adams claimed that the protests are apart of a “movement to radicalize young people”.

But student protesters have been clear that their goal is to get their respective colleges to divest from Israeli-connected companies as Israel continues launching attacks on the Gaza territory.

Updated

The Columbia University encampment, where students protested what a UN expert has called a genocide in Gaza, has been swept by New York police.

But images show the physical imprints left by student protestors.

Squares on Columbia’s lawn show where the students’ tents previously set up.

From Politico’s Irie Sentner:

Updated

Students at Fordham University have started their own encampment in solidarity with student protestors nationwide.

Fordham students have set up protests inside the university, hours after New York police swept similar encampments at Columbia University and Cuny.

Police officers are posted outside the encampment.

Those without a student ID are not being permitted to enter the building, as a small protest in support of students happens outside.

From reporter Sophie Hurwitz:

Updated

New York police have tried to characterize a standard bike lock found on Columbia’s campus as a tool brought in by outside “professionals”, much to the mockery of others online.

The latest comments from New York police come as law enforcement alleges that outside agitators were present at protests on Columbia’s campus, triggering police response. That allegation has not been verified.

Deputy Commissioner Tarik Sheppard claimed that a chain and a bike lock were used to secure doors in Columbia’s Hamilton Hall.

Sheppard said that such tools were “not what students bring to school”. “This is what professionals bring to campuses and universities,” Sheppard said of the bike lock.

In a viral post, people on X pointed out that the chains are commonly used by cyclists to secure their bikes.

Moreover, bike locks are available for sale by Columbia University’s public safety department as apart of their “Crime Prevention Discount Bike, Locker and Laptop Lock Program”.

From the New York Times’ Aric Toler:

Updated

Police tear down encampment at University of Wisconsin, Madison

Police tore down encampments at the University of Wisconsin, Madison early on Wednesday, in yet another crackdown on a peaceful student protest.

Several protestors, mostly students, were detained by police.

At least one professor was pinned down and arrested by officers.

Tyler Katzenberger, a reporter covering the encampment protests in Madison, said the professor asked for police to leave students alone.

Updated

At least one high school starts encampment protest in solidarity with Gaza

High school students have now started encampments protests of their own in solidarity with college students across the country who are protesting the genocide in Gaza.

Students at Iowa City’s City High are planning to host a school strike on Friday, according to post on X.

“Spend the day with us, an open hour, or just a few minutes during the school day to stand in solidarity with students across the country,” read a flyer from City High students.

Students added that Friday’s action is not a protest against City High school but in solidarity with “those at Columbia University, who are standing up in protest against US involvement of egregious human rights violations occurring everyday in Gaza”.

Updated

Donald Trump suggested that pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses were done to take attention away from issues at the US-Mexico border.

In a post to Truth Social, Trump attempted to thread the theory that demonstrations in support of a Gaza ceasefire were done to “take the FOCUS away from our Southern Border”.

Do you think that the Radical Left Lunatics that are causing all of the CHAOS at our Colleges and Universities are doing so in order to take the FOCUS away from our Southern Border, where millions of people, many from prisons and mental institutions, are pouring into our Country? Just askin’…???

Updated

The Guardian’s Nina Lakhani described the scene at the City University of New York in Manhattan, as scores of student protestors were arrested.

As the protesters (from Fashion Institute of Technology, New York University, New School University and Columbia) reached the City University of New York (Cuny) around 7.00pm, dozens of police officers rushed to stand in front of the campus gates, which were already secured with barricades.

The protesters demanded they be allowed in, and nudged towards the barricades. They chanted slogans throughout including: ‘Cuny, Cuny, your hands are red, 40,000 Palestinians are dead.’ They also criticized the police for being Israel trained. Police pushed some of the protesters to the ground, and several people were arrested. One young woman wearing a hijab was in tears after a police officer charged into her. This was around 7.30pm.

The students were upset and frustrated at being blocked, but they were non-violent. The police were clearly escalating the situation. By 8pm, there seemed to be hundreds of police on the scene, many carrying truncheons and zip ties.

The students were trying to find a way onto campus but were being directed into streets which were blocked off by barricades or police.

We could hear lots of sirens coming from all directions. Several buses arrived which were later used to transport the detained protesters. They were young, non-violent and incensed at the US and university support for Israel.

The police response was excessive.

Updated

Latest on pro-Palestine student protest crackdowns

Crackdowns on pro-Palestine protests at US colleges intensified overnight, leading to some violence.

At the University of California, Los Angeles, violence erupted early on Wednesday when counter-protesters attacked encampment demonstrations. Video footage of the clash showed counter-demonstrators using sticks to attack a makeshift barricade that surrounded the pro-Palestinian protesters. At least one firework was launched into the encampment.

New York officers arrested scores of student protesters who were camped on Columbia University’s campus on Tuesday evening.

City police also arrested dozens of protesters at the City College of New York. An estimated 200 people were arrested on Tuesday between both campuses, CNN reported.

Student protesters at southern universities have also faced school discipline or arrest. New Orleans officers with guns drawn cleared an encampment early on Wednesday at Tulane University, WDSU reported. At least 14 protesters were arrested.

Police at the University of Arizona in Tucson fired “non-lethal” chemical weapons at protesters as arrests were made, the Arizona Daily Star reported. At least one protester was hit with a rubber bullet, according to the Star.

Updated

The Guardian’s video department has compiled a summary of the violence at UCLA overnight.

Lack of police noted during worst of violence at UCLA

Many commenters noted the lack of LAPD or UCLA campus police presence during the worst of the violence.

According to a witness who spoke to the BBC, a university security team stood back and watched as they thought they could no longer “safely hold” the space between the attackers and the encampment, after a barrier fence was knocked down.

California Highway Police (CHP) eventually responded and moved to separate the brawling groups.

As UCLA is a state school, CHP has jurisdiction, though the LAPD were providing support, reinforcing the CHP officers as they separated the crowd.

LAPD then reestablished the buffer zone.

Updated

About 200 people attacked pro-Palestinian encampment - report

LA Times reporter Teresa Watanabe reported that the group who attacked the encampment several hours ago were approximately 200 strong.

She said the attackers were shouting “Second nakba!” a reference to the dispossession of Palestinians from their lands in 1948.

Updated

ABC showed footage of LAPD officers moving to disperse the crowd.

They corralled the pro-Israel counter-protesters and moved them away from the encampment.

No arrests appeared to be made immediately, with officers focusing on separating them from the encampment.

Meanwhile, at other US campuses early on Wednesday

University of Arizona

Police in the early hours of Wednesday morning told prostesters on campus to disperse as they were an “unlawful assembly”, then asked university police to enforce that ruling.

Police said they deployed “chemical irritant munitions”.

Tulane University

Police arrested students and several were suspended by the university. Again, the protests has been labelled “unlawful”.

The President, Michael Fitts, wrote in a letter that six arrests and seven suspensions were made.

Updated

Katy Yaroslavsky, a member of Los Angeles city council representing district 5, said the clashes were “out of control”.

“Everyone has a right to free speech and protest, but the situation on UCLA’s campus is out of control and is no longer safe. I’m grateful to LAPD and Mayor Bass for stepping in to ensure the safety of everyone on campus,” Yaroslavsky posted on social media.

Counter-demonstrators throw wood and shoot fireworks at encampment - video reports

The LA Times reports that the counter-demonstrators who attacked the barricades were wearing black outfits and white masks.

It said that the protesters in the encampment, in helmets and goggles and wielding pieces of wood, attempted to defend the perimeter.

Video footage from Fox News shows the attackers throwing pieces of wood at the encampments and at least one shooting a firework at it. They threw barricade fences and jousted with the encampment protesters.

Updated

According to footage from Fox News, a group of men attacked the pro-Palestinian encampment shortly after midnight.

Someone shot a firework at the encampment, which exploded. Others used pepper spray against the protesters, with some of them spraying it in return. The men forcefully tore down the camp while the protesters attempted to repair it.

Several loud explosions were heard to go off, as students screamed.

Fox News reported that campus security were not present on the scene.

The clashes continued for several hours.

Updated

The spokesperson for Karen Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles, said the university had asked for police to intervene, and that the force would respond.

Police in riot gear who have arrived on campus have not immediately intervened, according to the Associated Press.

Police arrive at UCLA campus

Police in riot gear have arrived at the UCLA campus, according to multiple reports.

Updated

According to Reuters, people threw things and shoved and kicked one another. Some armed with sticks beat others. At one point, a group piled on one person who lay on the ground, kicking and beating them until others pulled them out of the scrum.

The clashes took place just outside a tent encampment, where pro-Palestinian protesters erected barricades and plywood for protection — and counter-protesters tried to pull them down. Police vehicles could be seen nearby, but officers did not immediately intervene.

Fireworks were set off and objects thrown in footage shown by KABC.

The clashes began in the early hours of Wednesday shortly after Gene Block, the UCLA Chancellor, said the campus’s pro-Palestinian encampment was “unlawful” and said students who remained in it would face disciplinary action.

Aerial footage from broadcaster KABC, an affiliate of ABC, showed people wielding sticks or poles to attack wooden boards being held up as a makeshift barricade to protect pro-Palestinian protesters, some holding placards or umbrellas, Reuters reports.

'Horrific violence' at UCLA – vice-chancellor

Mary Osako, a vice-chancellor at UCLA, has released an emailed statement on the unrest. “Horrific acts of violence occurred at the encampment tonight and we immediately called law enforcement for mutual aid support,” she said “The fire department and medical personnel are on the scene. We are sickened by this senseless violence and it must end.”

Clashes erupt on University of California campus in Los Angeles

We are restarting our live coverage of the campus protests in the US, where clashes have broken out in the last few hours between rival protest groups at the University of California campus in Los Angeles. Reports on social media said the violence began when pro-Israel demonstrators started attacking the pro-Palestinian camp in the night.

Tensions had been rising on Tuesday evening, after university administrators declared for the first time that the pro-Palestinian encampment on the campus was illegal.

We’re pausing our live coverage here. If you’d like to read more, the Guardian’s full report on the arrests made at Columbia University can be found here.

Summary

It’s now 2am in New York – here’s how things stand after police raided the campuses of two universities and arrested a number of protesters.

  • Hundreds of New York City police officers entered the grounds of Columbia shortly after 9pm to detain and disperse pro-Palestinian protesters who took over Hamilton Hall, a campus building.

  • A long line of police officers were seen climbing into the occupied building through a second-storey window. Police boarded at least 50 detainees on to buses, each of them with their hands bound behind their backs.

  • Less than three hours after police entered Columbia, the campus had been cleared of protesters. A police spokesperson said “dozens” of arrests had been made.

  • A statement released from Columbia said officers arrived on campus after the university requested help. “After the university learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized, and blockaded, we were left with no choice,” the school’s statement said, adding that school public safety personnel were forced out of the building and one facilities worker was “threatened”. The university has requested that police retain a presence on campus until mid-May.

  • The occupation of Hamilton Hall came after protesters’ defied a 2pm Monday deadline to abandon their camp at Columbia or face suspension. The university promptly began suspending participating students. University officials on Tuesday threatened academic expulsion of the students who seized Hamilton Hall.

  • At an evening news briefing held a few hours before police entered Columbia, New York mayor Eric Adams and city police officials said the Hamilton Hall takeover was instigated by “outside agitators” who lack any affiliation with Columbia and are known to law enforcement for provoking lawlessness. Some Columbia protesters have denied this claim.

  • A university spokesperson also reiterated the view that the group who “broke into and occupied the building” is being led by individuals who are “not affiliated with the University.”

  • Dozens of arrests were also reported at City College of New York where an encampment had been going since Thursday. It’s understood that some students left the Columbia campus when arrets began there and moved north to join the sit-in.

  • New York congressman Jamaal Bowman has said he is “outraged” by the level of police presence at Columbia and other New York universities. Bowman has called on the Columbia administration to stop the “dangerous escalation before it leads to further harm” and allow faculty back on to campus.

  • Elsewhere, police cracked down on a pro-Palestine demonstration at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, early on Tuesday morning, clearing two buildings that protesters had occupied since last week, arresting dozens of people and detaining at least one journalist.

  • More than 1,000 demonstrators, protesting against the conflict in Gaza have been arrested over the past two weeks on campuses in states including Texas, Utah, Virginia, North Carolina, New Mexico, Connecticut, Louisiana, California and New Jersey, some after violent clashes with police in riot gear.

Brown University in Rhode Island reaches agreement with protesters

Brown University reached an agreement with students protesting the war in Gaza that would see them remove their encampment from school grounds in exchange for the institution considering divesting from Israel.

In a statement, Brown president Christina Paxson said students had agreed to end their protests, clear their camp and “refrain from further actions that would violate Brown’s conduct code through the end of the academic year.”

In turn, “five students will be invited to meet with five members of the Corporation of Brown University in May to present their arguments to divest Brown’s endowment from ‘companies enabling and profiting from the genocide in Gaza’.”

The board will vote on the proposal in October.

“We are ending [the encampment] knowing that we made a huge victory for divestment at Brown, for this international movement and a victory for the people of Palestine,” said Brown student Leo Corzo-Clark.

The move represents a first major concession from an American university amid the relentless student protests that have paralysed campuses.

In a letter to New York police requesting assistance on campus, the City College of New York said that protesters had ignored requests and their conduct had interfered with the safety of the campus.

Sharing the request on X, New York police deputy commissioner Kaz Daughtry said the actions of protesters raised serious safety concerns for the university communities.

Let me be abundantly clear. New Yorkers will not stand for lawlessness. Our officers will continue to protect the public with the utmost professionalism.

Updated

A striking feature of New York’s campus protests is how many student-protestors say they are unwilling to talk to the press because they had not been “media-trained.”

Pressed on their reluctance, some protesters at CUNY said the media had been under-reporting and distorting what has been going on, both in regards to the Israel-Hamas war and the international protests against Israel that followed.

“All we’re saying is we’re not happy university tuition fees are being used to fund wars, and we want to see what we can do about it, but without violence,” one protester said.

Others at CUNY were unimpressed by the attitude toward law enforcement.

“They’re also human beings”, said a demonstrator. “They’re following orders. Who do they call when there’s a shooting?”

NYPD deputy commissioner posts video of police tearing down Palestinian flag

New York police deputy commissioner Kaz Daughtry has posted a video to X of officers tearing down a Palestinian flag at City College of New York (CUNY) and raising an American flag in its place.

Earlier, Daughtry confirmed that police were on the CUNY campus after the university asked them to assist in dispersing protesters.

In the post in which he shared the video, Daughtry described the “proud moment” that police restored order and raised “Old Glory” on the campus flagpole.

Updated

Police begin arrests at City College of New York

The New York Times is reporting that police have arrested dozens of pro-Palestinian demonstrators at City College of New York (CUNY). An NYPD official confirmed that CUNY had requested that police enter the campus to disperse protesters.

Tensions at the university have been rising throughout the evening – and it was understood that some students left the Columbia campus when arrets began there and moved north to join the sit-in at CUNY.

An encampment at the public college, part of the City University of New York system, has been going since Thursday and students had attempted to occupy an academic building earlier on Tuesday.

Images coming in show a large police presence outside the CUNY campus.

Updated

Earlier we reported that a number of students had left Columbia as the arrests began and moved north to the City College Of New York (CUNY) campus where a protest sit in was still in effect.

A NYPD official told the Guardian that the situation at CUNY was “a work in progress.

Images from the campus show a significant police presence, facing off against protesters.

Soon after police moved into Columbia, New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said that if any student was hurt in the operation, responsibility would fall on the mayor and university presidents.

She urged New York mayor Eric Adams to “reverse course”.

Other leaders and schools have found a safe, de-escalatory path. This is the opposite of leadership and endangers public safety. A nightmare in the making.

A reminder that this is the second time in a matter of days that police have been brought in to breakup protests at Columbia University.

On 18 April, Columbia’s president, Minouche Shafik confirmed that she had authorised police to begin clearing an encampment on the campus.

More than 100 students were arrested and their tents were torn down. Some students were suspended as well.

As a result, hundreds of faculty members held a mass walkout on 22 April to protest against the school’s decision to have police arrest students. The protest encampment returned at the same time.

Protesters at City College of New York in standoff with police

The Associated Press is reporting that just blocks away from Columbia, at the City College of New York (CUNY), demonstrators are in a standoff with police outside the public college’s main gate.

Video posted on social media by news reporters on the scene shows officers hauling some people to the ground and shoving others as they cleared people from the street and sidewalks.

An encampment at the public college, part of the City University of New York system, has been going since Thursday.

Updated

Columbia University cleared of protesters and dozens arrested, police confirm

Less than three hours after police entered Columbia, the campus had been cleared of protesters. A police spokesperson said “dozens” of arrests had been made.

Local media is reporting police as saying both Hamilton Hall and the protest encampment is now entirely cleared of students.

“The only thing that is left is the tents and their property,” the police said.

NYPD spokesman Carlos Nieves said he had no immediate reports of any injuries following the arrests.

Updated

We’re getting some reaction from other students at Columbia university.

Fabien Lugo is a first-year accounting student who says he wasn’t involved in the protests. But he’s told Associated Press (AP) that he opposes the university’s decision to call in police.

“They’ve shut down everything. This is too intense,” he said. “It feels like more of an escalation than a de-escalation.”

Ilana Lewkovitch, a self-described “leftist Zionist” student at Columbia, says it’s been hard to concentrate on school for weeks.

She says her exams have been punctuated with chants of “say it loud, say it clear, we want Zionists out of here” in the background, she told AP.

Hamilton Hall now entirely cleared of protesters, media report

Local media are reporting that police have confirmed that all protesters have now been moved out of Hamilton Hall, the academic building that demonstrators occupied over 24 hours ago.

NBC news is reporting that as many as 100 people have been detained.

Live TV footage shows that a huge police presence remains around the campus. Earlier we reported that Columbia has requested that some police remain at the university until at least mid-May.

As police shut down anti-Israel protests at Columbia, making dozens of arrests, students were reportedly moving north to the CUNY campus where a protest sit in was still in effect.

The comprehensive police operation at Columbia has involved hundreds of officers who have held a perimeter of closed streets surrounding the university.

Updated

The takeover of Hamilton Hall – named after one of America’s founding fathers, Alexander Hamilton – followed the failure of talks with university authorities aimed at winning the protesters’ agreement to dismantle an encampment of about 120 tents.

What were the students demanding?

Nothing less than Columbia’s divestment from companies they say profit from Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians.

Columbia’s president, Minouche Shafik, has rejected divestment calls. But the university offered an accelerated timeline to review student divestment proposals by the institution’s Advisory Committee for Socially Responsible Investing, the body that considers such questions. In a febrile atmosphere, protesters dismissed it as insufficient.

What other factors are in play?

Some Jewish students have said they have felt threatened and allege they have been subjected to antisemitic slurs. Similar complaints have been levelled at other protest-hit campuses.

Protesters – some of whom are Jewish – counter that instances of antisemitism are being exaggerated and conflated with condemnation of Israel, and leveraged in an effort to snuff out legitimate criticism of the state.

How much does this resonate beyond the university campus?

The spectre of enduring protests, creating the impression of chaos and disorder on America’s university campuses, could undermine Joe Biden’s re-election chances.

Fox News has already sensed the potential for a campaign issue, running round-the-clock footage of the scenes from Columbia in a switch of focus from the US-Mexico border, previously seen as the Republicans’ biggest potential vote-winner.

Worse still for Biden, the Democratic party’s student organisation, College Democrats of America, has endorsed the protests, saying in a statement: “As representatives of youth across the country, we reserve the right to criticise our own party when it fails to represent youth voices.”

By contrast, the protests were denounced on Tuesday’s by Biden’s national security spokesperson, John Kirby, who called them “absolutely the wrong approach”.

More images of police loading detained students into buses outside of Columbia have come in. It’s being reported that at least 50 people were arrested after police entered the university to clear out Hamilton Hall – an academic building that was being occupied by pro-Palestine protesters.

A huge number of police have now left the area around the campus, but a significant presence remains.

New York police deputy commissioner, Kaz Daughtry, has posted an update saying Columbia requested assistance to “take back their campus”.

He said that police were “dispersing the unlawful encampment and persons barricaded inside of university buildings and restoring order.”

Former president Donald Trump called into Sean Hannity’s show on Fox News on Tuesday evening to comment on the chaos at Columbia, as live footage of police clearing Hamilton Hall aired. Trump praised the officers.

“But it should never have gotten to this,” he told Hannity. “And they should have done it a lot sooner than before they took over the building because it would have been a lot easier if they were in tents rather than a building.”

Columbia University requests police stay on campus until mid-May

Columbia has published a letter that the university president, Minouche Shafik, wrote to the New York police department on Tuesday, requesting that they retain a presence on campus until mid-May.

With the utmost regret, we request the NYPD’s help to clear all individuals from Hamilton Hall and all campus encampments.

In light of the activities that occurred after the events of April 17-18, 2024, we further request that you retain a presence on campus through at least May 17, 2024 to maintain order and ensure encampments are not reestablished.

The letter goes on to say that the university trusts that police will “take care and caution when removing any individual from our campus”.

The Guardian has published video of the moment that police entered the occupied building at Columbia, Hamilton Hall.

Police vehicles begin to clear area outside Columbia campus

Live TV images from Columbia show that a number of police vehicles have now left the campus, including at least two buses filled with detained protesters.

Local media is reporting that less than two hours after the police entered Columbia, officers are now dispersing the last of the protesters.

Flashbang grenades used by police on campus

A police spokesperson has been speaking to CNN and told the network that officers have used flashbang grenades as they cleared the campus.

A flashbang is a weapon used to disorientate – it produces a blinding flash of light and an extremely loud “bang”.

The New York Times has reported that Carlos Nieves, a police department spokesperson, said “no tear gas was used inside the campus,” adding that “the N.Y.P.D. does not use tear gas.”

Police reportedly fill a second bus with detained protesters

A second bus has been filled with detained protesters, seated with their hands tied behind their backs, according to local media.

It’s being reported that demonstrators offered no resistance as police cleared them out of the occupied Hamilton Hall.

Below are some images that have come in of protesters being led on to the waiting police buses.

Updated

Police presence at other New York universities

On Tuesday evening, New York police began flooding the streets and erecting metal barriers in front of Columbia’s main campus, but some students – and their supporters – were allowed to continue north a mile and a half to The City University of New York (Cuny), as planned.

As the protesters reached Cuny, dozens of police officers rushed to stand in front of the campus gates which were already secured with barricades. The protesters demanded they be allowed in, and nudged towards the barricades. They chanted slogans throughout including: ‘Cuny, Cuny your hands are red, 40,000 Palestinians are dead.’

Police pushed some of the protesters to the ground, and several people were arrested. One young woman wearing a hijab was in tears after a police officer charged into her.

By 8pm there seemed to be hundreds of police on the scene, some were carrying truncheons and zip ties. The students were trying to find a way on to campus but were being directed into streets which were blocked off by barricades or police. We could hear lots of sirens coming from all directions.

At around 8pm we could hear sirens heading towards Columbia and several buses with the word ‘corrections’ painted on them sped past. Similar buses have been used by the NYPD to transport detained protesters in recent days. At about 8.30pm reports started emerging from Columbia faculty members that a shelter in place order had been issued, as police officers in riot gear prepared to storm the campus.

New York congressman denounces police intervention

New York congressman Jamaal Bowman has said he is “outraged” by the level of police presence at Columbia and other New York universities.

The militarization of college campuses, extensive police presence, and arrest of hundreds of students are in direct opposition to the role of education as a cornerstone of our democracy.”

Bowman has called on the Columbia administration to stop the “dangerous escalation before it leads to further harm” and allow faculty back on to campus.

Updated

A long line of police officers were seen climbing into the occupied building through a second-story window, using a vehicle with a ladder to gain access to the upper floor.

Reuters is reporting that dozens of other officers swarmed over the nearby protest encampment, as onlooking students standing just outside the campus jeered them with shouts of “Shame, shame!”

Before long, officers were seen leading handcuffed protesters to police vehicles outside campus gates.

Police boarded about 50 detainees on to a bus, each of them with their hands bound behind their backs with zip ties, the entire scene illuminated with flashing red and blue lights of police vehicles.

The New York Times is reporting that there were five buses in total, however it’s unclear how many were filled with detained protesters.

“Free, free, free Palestine,” chanted protesters outside the building. Others yelled “let the students go”.

The occupation of Hamilton Hall came after protesters’ defied a 2pm Monday deadline to abandon their camp at Columbia or face suspension. The university promptly began suspending participating students.

Posts on an Instagram page for protest organisers shortly after midnight urged people to protect the encampment on campus and join them at Hamilton Hall. Those signs of supports surfaced as the UN human rights chief said he was “troubled” by how law enforcement has dealt with the recent wave of campus demonstrations.

The student radio station, WKCR-FM, broadcast a play-by-play of the hall’s takeover – which occurred nearly 12 hours after Monday’s 2pm deadline for the protesters to leave an encampment of about 120 tents or face suspension.

That ultimatum came after the university’s president, Minouche Shafik, announced that efforts to reach a compromise with protest organisers had failed. She said that the institution would not bow to demands to divest from Israel.

Columbia confirms that the university reached out to New York police

Columbia has just released a new statement, confirming that police entered the campus in consultation with the university.

A little after 9 p.m. this evening, the NYPD arrived on campus at the University’s request. This decision was made to restore safety and order to our community.

After the University learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized, and blockaded, 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 risk the safety of our community or the potential for further escalation.

We made the decision, early in the morning, that this was a law enforcement matter, and that the NYPD were best positioned to determine and execute an appropriate response.”

The university spokesperson reiterated the view that the group who “broke into and occupied the building” is being led by individuals who are “not affiliated with the University.”

The decision to reach out to the NYPD was in response to the actions of the protesters, not the cause they are championing. We have made it clear that the life of campus cannot be endlessly interrupted by protesters who violate the rules and the law.”

Updated

Police begin to detain protesters at Columbia

Live TV images show that police have begun to detain protesters at Columbia.

The New York Times is reporting that some students have been escorted off campus with their hands zip tied behind their backs. Some protesters are being loaded on to law enforcement buses parked outside the university.

Students have not resisted arrest, according to the New York Times.

New York police entered Columbia University in an apparent effort to disperse pro-Palestinian protesters who seized and occupied a classroom building and have been encamped on the campus for two weeks.

Columbia University officials earlier on Tuesday threatened academic expulsion of the students who seized Hamilton Hall.

Updated

AP reports that Columbia authorized police to enter the campus

The Associated Press is reporting that shortly before officers entered the campus, the New York police department received a notice from Columbia authorising officers to take action. There source is a law enforcement official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The Guardian is unable to verify these reports.

Updated

At an evening news conference held a few hours before police entered Columbia, mayor Eric Adams and city police officials said the Hamilton Hall takeover was instigated by “outside agitators” who lack any affiliation with Columbia and are known to law enforcement for provoking lawlessness.

Police said they based their conclusions in part on escalating tactics in the occupation, including vandalism, use of barricades to block entrances and destruction of security cameras.

Adams suggested some of the student protesters were not fully aware of “external actors” in their midst.

We cannot and will not allow what should be a peaceful gathering to turn into a violent spectacle that serves no purpose. We cannot wait until this situation becomes even more serious. This must end now.”

One of the student leaders of the protest, Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian scholar attending Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs on a student visa, disputed assertions that outsiders had initiated the occupation.

“They’re students,” he told Reuters.

Live television images show a huge police presence on the Columbia campus.

Reuters reported that officers in a riot unit yelled “we’re clearing it out” as they marched up to the barricaded entrance to the building occupied building.

“Shame! shame!” jeered many onlooking undergrads still outside on campus.

Police were seen trying to enter the building through a window:

Protesters blocked the entrance to Hamilton Hall with tables, linked arms to form a barricade and chanted pro-Palestinian slogans.

Updated

Earlier on Tuesday, a spokesperson for Columbia said that students who took over the academic building now face expulsion.

Dozens of protesters took over Hamilton Hall, an academic building on the New York campus, barricading the entrances and unfurling a Palestinian flag out of a window.

Columbia spokesperson Ben Chang said:

We made it very clear [on Monday] that the work of the university cannot be endlessly interrupted by protesters who violate the rules … Continuing to do so will be met with clear consequences. Protesters have chosen to escalate to an untenable situation – vandalizing property, breaking doors and windows, and blockading entrances – we are following through with the consequences we outlined yesterday.

Hamilton Hall was one of several buildings occupied during a 1968 civil rights and anti-Vietnam war protest on the campus.

Now student protesters there have overtaken it once again, displaying a large banner that reads “Hind’s Hall”, renaming it in honor of Hind Rajab, a six-year-old Palestinian girl from Gaza City who was killed by Israeli forces earlier this year.

Images from around Columbia show a large police presence close to the entrance to the university. After entering the university, it’s understood that a police contingent moved towards Hamilton Hall, the building being occupied by protesters.

Columbia University issues shelter-in-place-order

Columbia University issued a shelter-in-place order Tuesday evening while protesters continued to occupy a building to demonstrate against the conflict in Gaza.

The Associated Press news agency is reporting that scores of police officers in riot gear have gathered near the New York campus.

More than 1,000 protesters have been arrested over the last two weeks on campuses in states including Texas, Utah, Virginia, North Carolina, New Mexico, Connecticut, Louisiana, California and New Jersey, some after violent clashes with police in riot gear.

New York police enter Columbia university

Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s continuing coverage of the protests across US campuses.

New York City police have entered Columbia University in an apparent effort to disperse pro-Palestinian protesters who seized and occupied a classroom building and have been encamped on the campus for two weeks.

TV images on Tuesday night showed police entering the elite university located in upper Manhattan, which has been the focal point of student protests that have spread to dozens of schools across the US.

Columbia University officials earlier on Tuesday threatened academic expulsion of the students who seized Hamilton Hall.

We’ll bring you live updates throughout the evening.

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