Columbia students who witnessed anti-Israel protesters' building takeover speaks out: 'We feel alone'

Two students astatine Columbia University are describing nan anarchic scenes astatine Columbia University overnight, when demonstrators took complete an world building. The students opportunity nan lax information connected field – wherever anti-Israel protesters person been moving chaotic while extracurricular agitators person infiltrated nan field – has near them emotion abandoned and alone.

Student Jessica Schwalb posted chaotic videos connected X of anti-Israel protesters smashing done solid windows pinch a hammer to gain access to Hamilton Hall, an world building utilized by nan dean and different elder offices.

"[It was] almost for illustration a segment from The Shining," Schwalb told "Fox and Friends" connected Tuesday morning. "And I besides saw a student who was trying to forestall them from barricading nan doors and past he was fundamentally corralled by [a] quality concatenation of pro-Palestinian protesters and fundamentally lifted up and shoved retired and called a Zionist."

ANTISEMITIC RIOT AT COLUMBIA REACHES BOILING POINT AS AGITATORS TAKE OVER ACADEMIC BUILDING, BARRICADE DOORS

A masked personification smashes a doorway model pinch a hammer overnight astatine Columbia University. (Alex Kent)

"He was physically assaulted, and again, there's utter soundlessness from nationalist safety, from NYPD. So, we consciousness unsocial connected this campus."

Another student, Jonas Du, who is nan editor-in-chief astatine nan monthly mag Columbia Sundial, says he was studying for finals erstwhile nan chaos began.

"It was a very surreal scene. I was successful Butler Library, our main library, getting fresh for finals... I locomotion out, nan encampment is alive, everyone's marching astir and everyone's saying they're going to inhabit Hamilton Hall," Du recalled. "And instantly I knew that this was an escalation because, backmost successful 1968, this was nan large arena that put Columbia connected nan representation successful position of being a very activistic school, and it really did a batch of harm to nan university’s reputation."

"They occupied Hamilton Hall backmost successful 1968 to protestation nan Vietnam War, and now they're doing nan aforesaid point because they spot this arsenic a continuation of nan aforesaid movement," Du continued. "This is simply a very important building… this is wherever nan dean of Columbia Colleges is, it's wherever nan halfway for nan halfway program is and that's nan centerpiece of each student's world experience."

Du said Columbia University has mislaid power of its gates and that extracurricular agitators person infiltrated nan campus. 

"We learned tonight, [and] there's video of this that we've posted connected Twitter wherever group are climbing done nan windows from nan street. People who are presumably not affiliated climbing into nan windows of a dormitory building, coming onto field and presumably joining nan protest. So Columbia has wholly mislaid power of its gates."

Columbia University demonstrators protested together overnight. (Alex Kent)

Schwalb, who is Jewish, said nan field is now excessively vulnerable for her, moreover though a caller information checkpoint has been group up. 

"I don't consciousness safe because location are truthful galore reports -- and I person talked to group who've confessed connected camera -- that they're getting IDs from students and they're not student[s] and past they conscionable swipe in," Schwalb said. 

"They moreover opportunity really nationalist information doesn't look astatine nan image of nan ID, they conscionable spot that it's a greenish light, and they fto you through. There was surely galore group connected field today, location were master burglars who helped break into Hamilton Hall and again there's nary consequence from nationalist safety. They were genuinely obscurity to beryllium recovered tonight."

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Schwalb said it is terrifying to beryllium portion of nan Jewish organization connected field fixed nan wide antisemitic behaviour astatine nan university.

"There are immoderate kids who haven't been connected field successful nan past 2 weeks because of nan fearfulness and location was a Jewish professor and his ID paper was deactivated because nan assemblage couldn't guarantee his safety," Schwalb added. 

"Yet they fto different professors who Nemat Shafik successful her legislature proceeding said would beryllium fired and wouldn't beryllium allowed connected campus, and students who are suspended are still connected field starring nan chants. So it's conscionable for illustration nan strategy is intelligibly surgery connected campus."

Du echoed those sentiments and said that nan assemblage was putting nan interests of nan protesters complete nan liking successful nan authorities of each nan different students who are paying $80,000 successful tuition fees.

"All astir Hamilton Hall are freshman dorms wherever group are trying to sleep. They were yelling things 3 a.m. into nan nighttime and nan Butler Library is correct there. That's wherever group are trying to study for finals and it besides intends that classes person gone hybrid," Du said.

"They are prioritizing what nan protesters want, which is disruption complete nan interests of different students, and that's nan argumentation of nan administration, and I don't deliberation it's going to clasp up very good successful nan nationalist eye."

A motion displaying "HINDS HALL" hangs extracurricular a building during nan Columbia University takeover past night. (Alex Kent)

The students are demanding 3 things from nan university: divest their financial support of Israel, go much transparent pinch nan university's investments and supply broad amnesty to students who person taken portion successful nan disruptive, weekslong demonstration.

However, Du said immoderate of his friends astatine nan assemblage person been radicalized, yet they do not afloat understand nan existent business successful Gaza. 

"What we're seeing now, it's an echo chamber. They're surviving together successful nan encampment, they're going to these protests together, and it's almost it's cult-like," Du said. 

"A batch of group would picture it arsenic specified because you person leaders saying ‘from nan stream to nan sea,' and past they conscionable mindlessly repetition it. A batch of them astir apt don't moreover cognize what stream and what sea."

"And because of nan echo chamber, we've seen a batch of our, you know, what erstwhile were bully friends get benignant of dragged into this activity and it's very heartbreaking."

Both Du and Schwalb are calling for nan assemblage to return decisive action to quell nan protests. 

"My connection to nan assemblage president would beryllium fig retired really to return backmost power of nan university. You can't discuss pinch students who person shown that they're consenting to beryllium arrested to break nan rules," Du said. 

"Once you've decided that you're not going to tolerate nan encampments, don't commencement negotiating pinch nan protesters again. Take decisive action to support a safe learning environment, a safe world and intelligence environment, particularly for nan Jewish community."

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Columbia University protesters barricade a doorway overnight. (Alex Kent)

Schwalb, meanwhile, said she wants to spot nan protesters look stiff consequences.

"Part of maine really wants to spot NYPD unit these students to look consequences for their very belligerent, very convulsive actions and different portion of maine understands that this activity will only go much inflamed if they do look much arrests," Schwalb admitted.

"And it would almost make this problem worse. So, I'm reasoning possibly much world punishments for illustration failure, automatic nonaccomplishment of classes, aliases conscionable immoderate different much achy semipermanent disciplinary action that tin impact their occupation prospects upon graduation, because a batch of these group are seniors aliases juniors."

Fox News’ Lawrence Richard contributed to this report.