The mob of Columbia University and Barnard College students who stormed a Barnard building Wednesday afternoon appear to have gotten off scot-free. The radicals were allowed to leave peacefully after missing their first deadline to leave and being promised that they’d be protected from the police.
Video footage shows droves of keffiyeh-clad student radicals shoving their way into the campus building, Milbank Hall, physically clashing with at least two outnumbered security guards and hospitalizing one. Inside, the agitators held a dean captive, covered up security cameras, broke into an office, vandalized walls, and forced class cancellations. Their main demand: reverse the expulsion of two Barnard students who stormed an Israeli history class at Columbia last month, targeting Jewish students with anti-Semitic flyers.
A Columbia student confirmed to the Washington Free Beacon that campus public safety called the New York Police Department but said officers were not given entry because Barnard was "hesitant to do anything that could lead to physical confrontation."
For hours, demonstrators with Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD)—the Ivy League’s most notorious anti-Semitic student group—and Columbia’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter sat in rows outside the office of Barnard dean Leslie Grinage, demanding amnesty for the two expelled students.
At one point, Grinage asked if she’d be allowed to use the bathroom, given that she had been sequestered in her office for hours. The student radicals jokingly told her no but eventually allowed her, booing her on the way to the restroom.
"Earlier today, a small group of masked protesters forcibly entered Milbank Hall and physically assaulted a Barnard employee, sending them to the hospital. They encouraged others to enter campus without identification, showing blatant disregard for the safety of our community," Barnard vice president for strategic communications Robin Levine told the Free Beacon just before 9 p.m. Wednesday. "We have made multiple good-faith efforts to deescalate. Barnard leadership offered to meet with the protesters—just as we meet with all members of our community—on one simple condition: remove their masks. They refused. We have also offered mediation."
Levine added that school administrators ordered the radicals to vacate by 9:30 p.m. or the college would "be forced to consider additional, necessary measures to protect our campus," Levine added. That demand came after the building had been occupied for several hours.
Instead, the students continued negotiating with the faculty. Barnard’s anthropology department chair, Severin Fowles, spoke to the pro-Hamas crowd filling the hallway in front of Grinage’s office. "This is an assurance that the NYPD won’t come for the next hour while these conversations are happening," he said. "We’ll hang out to make sure you all are OK. But it was really important to say that, you know, for the next hour, we’re just going to have a conversation."
UPDATE: Barnard faculty serving as spokesperson assured radical Columbia and Barnard students that the NYPD will not be called in for the next hour as the school’s dean tries to appease the students. He also assures them they will all 'be okay" pic.twitter.com/hotqeIVjNs
— Jessica Costescu (@JessicaCostescu) February 27, 2025
The university also sent another faculty member, Kristina Milnor, the chair of Barnard’s Classics Department, to try to reason with the students. Milnor said that Grinage requested to meet with only three students, to which a protester responded, "She’s scared of us." Milnor nodded and said, "Yes. I would not dispute that."
The students refused to leave, and their deadline was extended.
"If you are a Barnard student, and you do not adhere to this final request by 10:30 p.m. today, February 26, 2025, you will be subject to disciplinary action. If you leave before that time, we will not pursue disciplinary action for your presence in the building," said a notice handed out to the students.
The students debated whether to stay or leave, ultimately leaving the decision up to a vote. After six and a half hours of negotiations with the administration, they narrowly voted 22-19 to vacate the building, according to the Columbia Spectator. Barnard president Laura Rosenbury and Grinage also tentatively agreed to continue negotiations in a private meeting scheduled for Thursday at 1:00 p.m., but that appears to have not taken place because the students refused to take off their masks.
"Tonight, a small group of masked protesters attempted to undermine Barnard’s core values of respect, inclusion, and academic excellence," Rosenbury said in a statement obtained by the Free Beacon Wednesday night. "Thanks to the efforts of our staff and faculty, the protesters have now left Milbank Hall without further incident. But let us be clear: their disregard for the safety of our community remains completely unacceptable."
CUAD celebrated their victory on Instagram, writing Thursday morning, "After protesting for SIX HOURS, Dean Grinage conceded to amnesty and negotiations. This afternoon, students will meet with Dean Grinage AND President Rosenbury for negotiations."
Levine disputed CUAD’s claim.
"The masked protesters left Milbank Hall after receiving final written notice and being informed that Barnard would be forced to consider additional necessary measures to protect the campus if they did not leave on their own," she said Thursday morning. "No promises of amnesty were made, and no concessions were negotiated."
Columbia, meanwhile, released its own statement.
"The disruption of academic activities is not acceptable conduct. Barnard College is a separate institution from Columbia University, although it is affiliated. Columbia is not responsible for security on Barnard's campus. The disruption that is taking place at Barnard's Milbank Hall is not on Columbia’s campus, and Barnard's leadership and security team are addressing the current situation. We are committed to supporting our Columbia student body and our campus community during this challenging time."
The two Barnard students who were expelled, which led to the storming of the campus building, were part of a group that descended on an Israeli history class at Columbia and targeted Jewish students with anti-Semitic flyers that glorified Hamas, showed a trampled Star of David, and advocated violence. In total, four student radicals participated in the incident. Columbia promptly suspended at least one of its student protesters involved.
One flyer passed out to Jewish students on Jan. 21 stated, "THE ENEMY WILL NOT SEE TOMORROW," using an upside-down triangle—a symbol that Hamas uses to denote Israeli targets—to spell "TOMORROW." The flyer depicted a truck full of Hamas terrorists brandishing RPGs and machine guns.
Another flyer, with the caption "CRUSH ZIONISM," depicted the Star of David underneath a boot. A third encouraged students to "BURN ZIONISM TO THE GROUND."
In response, Columbia posted a security guard outside at least one Jewish studies course. The university announced that it "mobilized the Public Safety team to prevent future incidents, including identifying and directing additional resources to classes at increased risk for disruption."
Unity of Fields, a self-described "militant front against the US-NATO-zionist axis of Imperialism," shared live footage of Wednesday’s storming. Anti-Israel protesters covered administrator's office intercom cameras in blue tape. Masked radicals vandalized building walls, writing "WE WILL BURN IT ALL DOWN FOR OUR STUDENTS," "F— 12," "GAZA," and "THIS IS FOR HIND."
Later, two occupiers posed with their feet on the desk of the senior associate director of Access Barnard, an office that serves "first-generation, low-income, and international students." On X, the photo was captioned "The People’s DEI Office," enclosed between two upside-down triangles.
A picture obtained by the Free Beacon shows nearly 20 students standing outside Milbank Hall being denied entry to attend their classes. Video shows one student knocking on the door and telling a Barnard security officer, "You have to get them out. We all have to go to class." The officer replied, "You have to stand by until we clear it."
At least two classes were canceled due to the disruption.
Video footage also shows one masked protester climbing out of a building window, which was quickly shut behind them by a security officer.
Several hours into the incident, a team of masked radicals handed food from Hooda Halal food truck and Trader Joe’s bags filled with groceries to their accomplices inside through an office window of the occupied building.
According to a statement from Rosenbury, campus entry would be elevated to "Level C," which bans guest access and allows security to search bags and request that individuals unmask.