New York Police broke into the building of the Columbia University occupied hours before by pro-Palestinian students in an eviction operation that has resulted in dozens of arrests.

The police used a crane to enter the building from the second floor as the students had set up barricades at the main entrances. After the entry of the agents, the students offered no resistance and they were detained one by one and then taken to police stations in several buses, as reported by ‘The New York Times’.

Moment when the NYPD breaks into Columbia University

Moment when the New York Police burst into Columbia University | EFE

The building, called Hamilton Hall, had been occupied last midnight by Columbia university students, epicenter of student protests in the United States against Israel’s war in Gaza. Hamilton Hall has great symbolic value as it was also occupied in 1968 by students who were protesting against the Vietnam War at the time.

The University explained in a statement that, after learning of the occupation of the building, they made the decision that the protest had become the responsibility of the Police. “We regret that the protesters have chosen to aggravate the situation through their actions. After The University learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized and blocked, we were left with no choice.“they say.

The university protests are causing a significant stir in the United States and there is great political pressure to put an end to a movement that questions Washington’s unconditional support for the Government of Israel.

The White House itself reacted to the occupation of the building at the prestigious New York university: “Taking buildings by force is not peaceful, it is wrong“said one of its spokespersons, Andrew Bates, in statements to the NPR network. The Republicans, for their part, had requested the intervention of the National Guard.