Pro-Palestinian Demonstrators Stage Sit-in at Barnard Over Expulsions

New York|Pro-Palestinian Demonstrators Stage Sit-in at Barnard Over Expulsions

Dozens of pro-Palestinian demonstrators barged into Milbank Hall on Barnard College’s Manhattan campus on Wednesday and staged a sit-in over the expulsion of two students who interrupted a class on Israel, sparking a showdown with Barnard’s administration.

The masked protesters pushed past a security guard as they entered the building about 4 p.m., video that they shot showed, with the goal of occupying the area outside Dean Leslie Grinage’s office.

A college spokeswoman said in a statement that the protesters had “physically assaulted a Barnard employee, sending them to the hospital” as they entered the building. A Police Department spokesman said that a 41-year-old man had been taken by ambulance to Mt. Sinai Morningside Hospital at 4:08 p.m. complaining of “pain about the body” and was in stable condition.

The sit-in ended Wednesday night after Barnard set a deadline and threatened to take further action, such as calling in the New York Police Department.

“Tonight, a small group of masked protesters attempted to undermine Barnard’s core values of respect, inclusion, and academic excellence,” the Barnard president, Laura Rosenbury, said in a statement. She noted that the protesters had left and added, “But let us be clear: Their disregard for the safety of our community remains completely unacceptable.”

Chanting “there is only one solution, intifada revolution” and beating drums, the students began their sit-in. Their demands included the immediate reversal of the student suspensions and amnesty for all other students disciplined for pro-Palestinian activism. They also requested a public meeting with Dean Grinage, who they said could decide on appeals of the student suspensions, and with President Rosenbury.