NYC finally cracks down - Columbia rioters taken away in buses as cops reinstall American flag at another campus and Eric Adams slams college's 'despicable' complacency

Columbia University protestors who stormed Hamilton Hall were marched onto awaiting NYPD buses last night to applause from cheering locals. 

The NYPD confirmed that 119 people were arrested at Columbia after cops moved in to clear protestors from the occupied building and a nearby encampment.

Hundreds of officers stormed the campus, with officers going through an upstairs window at the historic building, after students barricaded the entrance.

Protestors, many of whom covered their faces with masks or keffiyehs, were then marched out unmasked and loaded onto three awaiting NYPD buses. 

Police said that between 40 and 50 of those arrested had been inside the occupied Hamilton Hall. While 173 were arrested at City College. 

Footage taken last night shows lines of protestors lined up with handcuffs as officers in riot gear escort them onto the transport. 

As the buses left the scene crowds that had gathered to watch cheered as the protestors were finally led away from the university. 

Around 100 people were arrested last night after cops moved in to clear protestors from the occupied building and a nearby encampment on the school's lawn

Protestors, many of whom covered their faces with masks or keffiyehs, were marched out unmasked and loaded onto three awaiting NYPD buses

Hundreds of officers stormed the campus, with officers going through an upstairs window at the historic building, after students barricaded the entrance

NYPD bus carries arrested students at Columbia University in New York City on April 30

The NYPD said that those who occupied Hamilton Hall would be charged with third-degree burglary, criminal mischief and trespassing. 

Those who had been camped out on the lawn at the university meanwhile would face trespassing and disorderly conduct charges. 

Even though the crowds have now been dispersed a police presence would remain for a further two weeks. 

Pictures and video taken of the aftermath show the hall's trashed interior strewn with activists' belongings.

Columbia's President Minouche Shafik called in the NYPD in to 'restore order and safety' to the campus amid the escalating protests.

A similar raid saw demonstrators arrested across at nearby City College New York, where similar protests unfolded.

Protestors at City College in Harlem had raised a Palestine flag on the campus, which officers last night replaced with the stars and stripes.  

Footage taken on the ground shows one officer tossing the flag aside before later raising Old Glory on the flagpole. 

Protestors at City College had raised a Palestine flag on the campus, which officers last night replaced with the stars and stripes

Footage taken on the ground shows one officer tossing the flag aside before later raising Old Glory on the flagpole

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday morning, Mayor Eric Adams berated the schools for allowing the flying of the flag. 

He said: 'That's our flag folks, it might be fine to some people but not to me. My uncle died defending this country.

'It's despicable that schools will allow another country's flag to fly in our country. So blame me for being proud to be American. We are not surrendering our way of life.'

Adams also blamed 'outside agitators' for "training and co-opting" what was a peaceful protest and turning it into something potentially violent. 

Pictures show how chairs and desks had been turned upside down to become makeshift barriers inside Hamilton Hall. The cost of damage to the building is likely to total thousands of dollars.

The occupation followed weeks of unrest at Columbia, which began with the establishment of the encampment on April 17.

Protesters set up tents after Shafik was grilled before Congress about anti-Semitism on campus.

They repeatedly ignored calls to disband, with the demonstrations ramping up early Tuesday with the violent takeover of Hamilton Hall.

After two weeks of chaos, which saw classes moved online and facilities shuttered, Shafik finally called in the police who managed to clear out the campus in just two hours.

The NYPD announced that it had cleared the building just before 11pm with no injuries.

Hours earlier, video showed cops sporting riot gear descending on the campus armed with zip-tie handcuffs and pepper spray.

Until Tuesday, Shafik had held off asking police to intervene following backlash to the decision to use law enforcement to disperse a previous encampment.

However, the decision to call the NYPD was taken after the increasingly violent tactics and concerns the protest had been infiltrated by 'outside agitators' with no ties to the university.

Police use a vehicle named 'the bear' to enter Hamilton Hall from a public street, which was occupied by protesters, as other officers enter the campus of Columbia University

NYPD cops dressed in riot gear stormed through the window of a Columbia University building occupied by dozens of pro-Palestine protesters to begin clearing them out

NYPD riot cops released dramatic video showing the moment they stormed Columbia University's occupied Hamilton Hall

Images and video showed extensive damage to Hamilton Hall after protesters were evicted on Tuesday night

Columbia University protesters smashed windows, upended furniture and caused damage throughout Hamilton Hall amid their brief occupation

In a statement, the university said the decision to call in police was, 'made to restore safety and order to our community'.

'We regret that protesters have chosen to escalate the situation through their actions,' the statement read.

'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.'

Protesters have been demanding the college divest from companies with links to Israel or firms profiting from its war on Hamas.

They have taken inspiration from previous student-led protests, such as the successful 1985 campaign to get the university to divest from South Africa 's apartheid regime.

NYPD officers arrive in riot gear to evict a building that had been barricaded by pro-Palestinian student protesters at Columbia University

Windows were left shattered and furniture over turned as protesters used the office supplies to create makeshift barriers

Members of the NYPD prepared to enter Columbia University campus after protestors took over Hamilton Hall overnight yesterday

Members of the NYPD surround and breach Hamilton Hall where demonstrators barricaded themselves inside on the Columbia University campus on April 30, 2024 in New York City

Shafik has so far rejected calls for an Israeli divestment, but said the issue could be reviewed by the school's Advisory Committee for Socially Responsible Investing.

However, the offer was deemed insufficient by the protesters and the demonstrations went ahead.

The clearing of the demonstrations is by no means the end of the problems being faced by the beleaguered Shafik.

Shortly after police began their raid, her own faculty released a statement condemning the decision and blaming her administration for allowing tensions to reach a boiling point.

Many Jewish students and their supporters are angry that it took so long for officials to crack down on the protests amid allegations of anti-Semitism.

The demonstrations also came at a time when many students were cramming for finals, causing maximum disruption.

Police were first called to Columbia on April 18 and made more than 100 arrests.

However, a new encampment soon sprouted up to replace it which remained for a further two weeks. Similar demonstrations cropped at other universities across the country, which have also since been shut down.

Protestors and students face off with the NYPD at Columbia University. SWAT MRAP approaches Hamilton hall

Cops were armed with zip ties and pepper spray as they stormed the campus at around 9.3-pm on Tuesday

The police operation was concluded within around two hours of cops storming the campus

Columbia President Minouche Shafik called in the NYPD in to 'restore order and safety' to the campus amid the escalating protests which also included a massive encampment at the school

Officers with the New York Police Department raid the encampment by pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University on Tuesday

At the same time police were flooding Columbia, they were also pouring onto another campus in the Big Apple.

Protesters threw flares and barricaded themselves inside an administrative building at the City University of New York, about 20 blocks north of Columbia University.

NYPD officers moved in after 9.30pm to disperse crowds outside as flares turned the college's famous arch red and protestors chanted and waved flags in support of Gaza.

At a press conference before the raids, NYPD Assistant Commissioner Rebecca Weiner warned the protest had been co-opted by external agitators who were not affiliated with the university.

She stressed the occupation had the potential to spill into other campus buildings, as well as other universities across the country.

'This is not about what's happening overseas, it's not about the last seven months, it's about a very different commitment to at times violent protest activity as an occupation,' she said.

'They haven't got a right to be on campus and this violates university polices and most importantly, presents a danger to students and the university and communities.

'When we see what we saw last night, we think these tactics are a result of guidance being given to students from these external actors.'