Protesters storm building in latest escalation of US campus demonstrations against Israel-Hamas war

Pro-Palestine protests at universities have been erupting across the US, ITV News' Lucy Watson reports

Dozens of protesters stormed a US university building, barricading the entrances and flying a Palestinian flag out a window in the latest escalation of college campus demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war.

Video footage showed protesters at Columbia University in New York locking arms in front of Hamilton Hall in the early hours of Tuesday.

Protesters were carrying furniture and metal barricades to the building, one of several that was occupied during a 1968 civil rights and anti-Vietnam War protest on the campus.

Posts on an Instagram page for protest organisers urged people to protect the encampment and join them at Hamilton Hall shortly after midnight.

Aerial footage shows crowds of protesting students surround a college building at Columbia University

“An autonomous group reclaimed Hind’s Hall, previously known as "Hamilton Hall," in honor Hind Rajab, a martyr murdered at the hands of the genocidal Israeli state at the age of six years old,” CU Apartheid Divest posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

In the X post, protestors said they planned to remain at the hall until the university conceded to the CUAD's three demands: divestment, financial transparency and amnesty.

Students try to prevent the Gaza Solidarity Encampment from taking over Hamilton Hall at Columbia University Credit: AP

Already an encampment of 120 tents surrounded the university - the students inside them had been told to leave by 2pm on Monday or face suspension.

Representatives for the university did not immediately respond to emails requesting comment early Tuesday.

Pro-Palestine protests at universities have been erupting across the US.

A pro-Palestinian protester is grabbed by University of South Florida police. Credit: AP

Encampments have surrounded the buildings, leading to ultimatums from the universities that have resulted in clashes with police.

Dozens of people were arrested Monday during protests at universities in Texas, Utah and Virginia, while Columbia said hours before the takeover of Hamilton Hall that it had started suspending students.

While the university did not call police to remove the demonstrators, school spokesperson Ben Chang said suspensions had started.

Protest organisers said they were not aware of any suspensions as of Monday evening.

Columbia’s handling of the demonstrations also has prompted federal complaints.

A class-action lawsuit on behalf of Jewish students alleges a breach of contract by Columbia, claiming the university failed to maintain a safe learning environment, despite policies and promises.

It also challenges the move away from in-person classes and seeks quick court action requiring Columbia to provide security for the students.

Meanwhile, a legal group representing pro-Palestinian students is urging the US Department of Education’s civil rights office to investigate Columbia’s compliance with the Civil Rights Act of 1964 for how they have been treated.

A university spokesperson declined to comment on the complaints.

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