Protests escalated again at Barnard College in New York City on Thursday, a day after more than 50 anti-Israel demonstrators took over a campus building.
The renewed demonstrations led to several arrests as tensions continued to mount.
Approximately 100 protesters gathered outside Barnard’s entrance, wearing masks and keffiyehs while chanting slogans such as “Free Palestine.”
The protest later expanded beyond Barnard, with demonstrators marching to City College of New York (CUNY) to target an event where Gov. Kathy Hochul was scheduled to appear.
The event was ultimately canceled due to the anticipated unrest.
During the protest, demonstrators chanted criticisms of Hochul and shouted “NYPD KKK” while attempting to breach police barricades and getting into officers’ faces.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) condemned the ongoing demonstrations, calling for action against the disruption.
“ENOUGH IS ENOUGH,” Johnson wrote in a post on X.
“Pro-Hamas mobs have NO place on our college campuses. Barnard College & Columbia University must put an end to the antisemitic chaos on campus.”
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.
Pro-Hamas mobs have NO place on our college campuses. Barnard College & Columbia University must put an end to the antisemitic chaos on campus. https://t.co/9ImApKuAF7 — Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) February 27, 2025
Robin Levine, Barnard’s vice president for strategic communications, confirmed that a faculty member was injured during Wednesday’s protest and taken to the hospital.
However, no further details were provided.
“They encouraged others to enter campus without identification, showing blatant disregard for the safety of our community,” Levine said in a prior statement.
Barnard officials warned students that if they did not vacate the occupied building by 9:30 p.m.
Wednesday, the school would take “additional, necessary measures to protect our campus.” Reports indicate that protesters finally left the building around 11 p.m., according to FOX 5 New York.
The protests stem from the expulsion of two students who had previously stormed a Columbia University classroom in January and allegedly threw flyers filled with hateful rhetoric.
Demonstrators at Barnard demanded their reinstatement and amnesty for all students disciplined for pro-Palestinian actions or statements.
Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine posted videos on X showing masked individuals beating drums and chanting into megaphones in a hallway on Wednesday.
The group also shared a list of demands, accompanied by the statement: “WE WILL NOT STOP UNTIL OUR DEMANDS ARE MET. FREE PALESTINE.”
Among the demands were the immediate reversal of the two Barnard students’ expulsions and the abolition of Barnard’s disciplinary process, which they called “corrupt.”
Protesters also demanded full transparency in all current, past, and future disciplinary proceedings and a public meeting with Dean Leslie Grinage and President Laura Rosenbury.
Demonstrators vowed to continue disrupting the campus until their demands are met.
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