[ad_1]
Police arrest 17 at University of Utah protest overnight
Police arrested 17 protesters at the University of Utah late last night, after hundreds had picketed administrators as part of the national pro-Palestinian protest movement.
The arrests were made by 11:45 p.m. last night, the university said in a statement, after multiple law enforcement authorities moved into disperse the protest after 11 p.m. The university had warned protesters they were breaking both state regulations and its own rules.
Officers removed about a dozen tents, as well as stashes of water, food and toilet paper, the university said, adding that some voluntarily took down their tent.
“Campuses serve as a stage and forum for not just students, but for members of the community who want their voice to be heard. We honor all voices, but the right to speech on our campus must occur within the confines of state law and campus policies,” Keith Squires, the university’s chief safety officer said in the statement.
The university said the final exams taking place this week will continue today.
Vending machines, tables and barriers used to block Hamilton Hall
Student protesters at Columbia University use a variety of items to block doorways inside Hamilton Hall in the early hours of this morning.
In one photo, a group can be seen shoving what appears to be a campus vending machine and a stack of chairs against a door.
Another group of balaclava wearing men raise a large table on it’s end to block an entrance, with a crowbar also discarded on the floor.
Elsewhere, students dressed in Columbia University clothing, wear blue medical gloves as they transfer metal barriers inside Hamilton Hall.
Human chain blocking entrance to Hamilton Hall
Protesters formed a human chain outside Hamilton Hall, which was occupied after midnight today, as the crowd sang “we shall not be moved.”
Student protesters have organized themselves into “platoons” based on how willing they are to be arrested, one student on campus who asked not to be named for fear of reprisals told NBC News early today. The groups are called “red rolls” and “yellow rolls.”
University staff grapple with protesters inside Hamilton Hall
A maintenance worker confronts demonstrators attempting to barricade themselves inside Hamilton Hall at Columbia University in New York City in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Student protest group confirms Hamilton Hall occupation, warns authorities against using force
A student protest group at Columbia confirmed its members had “reclaimed” the Hamilton Hall building just after midnight and would continue there until Columbia concedes to the movement’s demands, which include cutting ties with Israeli institutions.
Columbia University Apartheid Divest said on X: “Liberators acting in solidarity with Palestine continue to hold themselves to a higher standard than Columbia.”
The statement addressed Columbia’s administrators and trustees and referenced deadly crackdowns on anti-Vietnam war rallies, warning them not to “incite another Kent or Jackson State by bringing soldiers and police officers with weapons onto our campus: Students’ blood will be on your hands.”
Protesters rename Hamilton Hall as ‘Hind’s Hall,’ after slain 6-year-old Palestinian girl
Protesters at Columbia University stormed a building on campus overnight, renaming the storied Hamilton Hall as “Hind’s Hall” in honor of Hind Rajab — the six-year-old girl who was killed in Israel’s offensive in Gaza after begging first responders to save her life in harrowing calls later published online.
Hind’s story sparked outrage around the world earlier this year after she was found dead in a vehicle in Gaza City with several of her loved ones, who were also killed.
She had been missing for 12 days after pleading with first responders to save her, with phone call recordings showing a frightened Hind imploring rescuers to “come take me. Please, will you come?”
Her mother told NBC News of her devastation after her daughter’s body was found in February. The remains of two paramedics dispatched to save her were also found in a burnt out ambulance nearby.
Read more about Hind Rajab
Protesters break windows at Columbia University hours after school starts suspending student demonstrators
Protesters at Columbia University broke windows at the Manhattan campus’ Hamilton Hall early Tuesday, hours after the school began suspending students who defied a deadline to leave a pro-Palestinian camp set up to protest the war in Gaza.
NBC News could not confirm how many people were inside Hamilton Hall, but the university’s student newspaper, the Columbia Spectator, reported that dozens of protesters had occupied the building.
Read the full story here.
