Student witnessed at least one 'physical assault' as anti-Israel agitators occupy Hamilton Hall
'We feel alone': Columbia student who witnessed anti-Israel protesters' building takeover speaks out
Columbia University students Jessica Schwalb and Jonas Du discuss an escalation in anti-Israel protests on the Ivy League campus after students took over a building.
Anti-Israel protests escalated into chaos on Columbia University's campus in the early hours of Tuesday morning as protesters smashed windows and infiltrated historic Hamilton Hall in footage caught on camera.
Jessica Schwalb, who witnessed the scene and captured it for the entire world, says silence from law enforcement and campus leadership has left students feeling alone.
"[It was] almost like a scene from 'The Shining,'" she told "Fox & Friends" of the window-smashing.
"I also saw a student who was trying to prevent them from continuing to barricade the doors, and then he was essentially corralled by another human chain of pro-Palestinian protesters and basically lifted up and shoved out and called a Zionist. He was physically assaulted," she continued.
ANTI-ISRAEL MOB REBRANDS ICONIC HAMILTON HALL FOLLOWING INSURRECTION AT COLUMBIA
Jonas Du (left) and Jessica Schwalb (right) witnessed the escalation on Columbia's campus early Tuesday. (Fox & Friends)
"And again, there's utter silence from public safety, from NYPD, so we feel alone on this campus."
Demonstrators occupied Hamilton Hall Tuesday, rebranding the building – originally named after Founding Father Alexander Hamilton – as "Hind's Hall" in honor of six-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab, who died in Gaza earlier this year amid Israel's war with Hamas.
Jonas Du, editor-in-chief of campus publication the Columbia Sundial, also joined "Fox & Friends" on Tuesday to give his account of the escalation. He told Lawrence Jones and Ainsley Earhardt the entire scene was "surreal."
Students at Columbia University took over Hamilton Hall, an academic building used by the dean, and rebranded it "Hind's Hall." (Getty Images/Alex Kent)
"I was in Butler Library, our main library, getting ready for finals, finishing up an assignment. I walk out, the encampment is alive, everyone's marching around, and everyone's saying they're going to occupy Hamilton Hall. And instantly I knew that this was an escalation, because back in 1968, this was the big event that put Columbia on the map in terms of being a very activist school, and it really did a lot of harm to the university's reputation."
Du's remark hearkened back to anti-Vietnam War protests from 1968, when demonstrators similarly took over the building.
Schwalb told Fox News that alleged loopholes in security have made her no longer feel safe on campus, claiming that many of those who helped break into Hamilton Hall were "professional burglars."
Du similarly insisted that nothing is being done to stop the chaos.
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY STUDENT FILES CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST SCHOOL TO PROTECT JEWS ON CAMPUS
"I think what we've learned over the last two weeks since the encampment got started is that the university has decided that they're going to put the interest of the protesters… over the interest and the rights of all the other students, including those who want nothing to do with this. What I mean by that is that all around Hamilton Hall are freshmen dorms where people are trying to sleep. They were yelling things 3 a.m. into the night, and the Butler Library is right there," he said.
"That's where people are trying to study for finals, and it also means that classes have gone hybrid. Finals have gone hybrid, right. They are prioritizing what the protesters want, which is disruption over the interests of other students. And that's the policy of the administration. And I don't think it's going to hold up very well in the public eye."
Schwalb said she realizes more police involvement might only inflame already existing tensions and speculated academic punishments, such as automatic class failures or other long-term disciplinary actions, would be better options.
Columbia University President Minouche Shafik called on law enforcement to sweep the "Gaza Solidarity Encampment" and arrest the agitators on Tuesday, which resulted in more than 100 students being detained.
Removed students now face suspension.
Fox News' Lawrence Richard contributed to this report.
Taylor Penley is an associate editor with Fox News.
