Pro-Palestinian protesters storm Barnard College library in demonstration over student expulsions
NEW YORK — Dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters interrupted studies at the Barnard College library on Wednesday, escalating tensions with administrators in the aftermath of the brief takeover of a campus building.
The masked disruptors filed into an unmarked side entrance as they entered the Milstein Center around 1 p.m., according to video posted by an independent protest group not associated with Barnard or its affiliate, Columbia University.
It was unclear if they were planning to remain in the building, though the school has issued a warning demanding they leave.
On social media, Columbia University Apartheid Divest, a coalition of student groups, demanded the immediate reversal of three Barnard students' expulsions.
Barnard spokespeople did not immediately return a request for comment.
Inside the building lobby, protesters holding the Palestinian flag chanted through megaphones: 'We want justice, you say how? Un-expel our students now,' while others played drums and cymbals.
One demonstrator jostled with a puppet whose name-tag identified it as Barnard President Laura Rosenbury. Another held a 'Wanted' sign of student life dean Leslie Grinage for 'the wrongful expulsion of pro-Palestinian students.
Public safety quickly blocked the entrance of Milstein, according to Bwog, a student-run campus news website. An hour in, administrators issued a notice to protesters as a final warning.
'We have offered you multiple opportunities to leave the building peacefully and without further escalation,' read the memo. 'If you do not comply with this request, we will take further action as necessary to clear the building.'
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