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Pro-Hamas Agitators Took Over Columbia's Sister School of Barnard

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  February 27, 2025 8:30 PM

The pro-Hamas rot continues to take over Columbia and its affiliated institutions. On Wednesday, students took over Barnard College, the all-women's sister school of Columbia University, and were permitted to do so until late in the evening. 

Leftist media outlets, such as The Guardian and The New York Times, described the agitators as "pro-Palestinian" and claimed they were protesting the expulsion of students, specifically anti-Israel ones who interrupted a class on Israel. The protests took place on the same day as Yarden Bibas was eulogizing his wife, Shiri, and their young children, Kfir and Ariel, who were just 10-months and 4-years-old when they were murdered in captivity. Yarden had also been taken hostage on October 7, 2023, but returned home earlier this month.

The terrorist sympathizers even assaulted a campus employe, The New York Times reported, citing a Barnard spokesperson. The worker ended up in the hospital. 

The agitators picked a day that was also particularly inconsiderate towards their classmates, as it took place not long before midterms.

Shoshana Aufzien shared over X her harrowing account, which included harassment from the agitators, who were also trying to cover up their vile behavior. 

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As her post read in part: 

I walked into Millbank Hall yesterday, racked with anxiety over midterms. I planned on attending my final class of the day and spending my night cramming in Butler Library @Columbia.

Instead, I found myself witnessing the aftermath of a violent altercation. After hearing that my professor and classmates were barred entry, I stayed in Millbank for 5.5 hours, waiting for the protest to dissipate. In that time, I was harassed and physically prevented from entering a hallway that should have been accessible to ALL students. 

From the first floor landing, I spotted my peers tapping on the glass doors, pleading with Public Safety to let them in.Every time I tried to record footage, members of @ColumbiaBDS (and its affiliates) would attempt to cover my phone’s camera. They taped two keffiyehs to a doorframe and held them shut, opened an umbrella IN MY FACE, and held up cardboard signs to block my sightline.

At one point, they took a brief hiatus from virtue signaling to have a BIRTHDAY PARTY for a student wearing a PRESS BADGE. 

I heard rumors that the NYPD was coming and didn’t care to stick around for a raid, but minutes after I left, I saw protesters open a window and pass food through it. Another student jumped out of an adjacent window.

I watched incredulously as the mob of protesters streamed through the building’s back exit and joined a procession to Riverside Park. 

Yesterday, my class was cancelled. I couldn’t study, and I still haven’t gone to sleep. I know that my day will be consumed by classes, protests, media appearances, and legal consults.

This is my new normal. I’m desensitized. I’ve learned to tune out my classmates’ genocidal chants because I simply don’t have another option. 

Aufzien describes still having hope in the "potential" of Columbia and Barnard. "Call me crazy, short-sighted, or naive—but I’ve seen the best that college has to offer. In some of the darkest moments, I’ve found a community of friends, educators, and mentors spreading light," she wrote, also tagging both schools and insisting that they "can and MUST do better." She tagged the Columbia BDS account as well, and called for them "to be investigated and brought to justice."

While the agitators stormed into the building at 4pm, it wasn't until later that evening that the police finally stepped in. Worse for the institution, the NYPD was reportedly not allowed on campus. Aufzien also described having spent 5.5 hours in the building. The Daily Wire's Kassy Akiva posted close to 10:30pm that evening that police cars were there, nearly an hour after the university told students that pilice would be called.

There were also professors who were reportedly involved, given that one even canceled class.

The mayhem caused by terrorist sympathizers didn't end on Wednesday night, though. 

Footage shared to X on Thursday shows agitators harassing police officers with insults, as well as making their way to City University of New York (CUNY), another institution with an antisemitic, pro-Hamas problem, though Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul finally stepped in to put an end to the madness there. As Ward Clark at our sister site of RedState covered, the university had been looking for employees to fill the role of teaching "Palestinian Studies."

Pro-Hamas students at Columbia have picked other terrible days to spew their hatred for our allies in the Middle East, including on the one-year anniversary of October 7. 

In April of last year, Columbia erupted into similar chaos, with pro-Hamas agitators also taking over the campus, including late into the night, and prevented janitorial staff from leaving the building they had taken over. The NYPD eventually stepped in under such chaos as well, though members of the anti-Israel Squad, such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and now former Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) defended the pro-Hamas agitators. Another Squad member, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) referred to Jewish students as "pro-genocidal," and her daughter was suspended for participating in pro-Hamas protests, only to then engage once more in them on October 7 of last year. 

When it comes to the most recent protests, all current and former Squad members have yet to post to their X accounts. This includes AOC and Bowman, despite being from New York. Other key Democrats, such as Hochul and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also appear to have been silent over social media, though they've both posted since Wednesday night's pro-Hamas takeover.

However, other New York politicians, including Republicans and Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres have posted about the mayhem at Barnard.

Torres even posted several times on Wednesday, as the chaos was unfolding. One such post also called out Hochul for her inaction. 

The congressman revealed earlier this week that he may run against her in the Democratic primary for the 2026 gubernatorial race. 

How have Barnard and Columbia responded? 

Barnard has not posted to X since last August, so there was no such statement shared to their page. Columbia put out the briefest of statements shared to X, which conveniently restricted replies and mostly focused on distancing themselves from Barnard.