Protesters temporarily occupy Barnard College building over students' expulsion
Sit-in protest at Barnard College
A group of student protesters have occupied a building on the campus of Barnard College, reportedly in opposition to the expulsion of two students who handed out flyers inside a Columbia University lecture.
NEW YORK - Student protesters temporarily occupied a building at Barnard College on Wednesday evening.
What we know:
According to officials, a small group of students wearing masks "physically assaulted" a Barnard employee, causing him to be hospitalized.
"They encouraged others to enter campus without identification, showing blatant disregard for the safety of our community," said Barnard College's Vice President for Strategic Communications, Robin Levine.
Video posted to X showed the students barging into the building past security guards.
College leadership say they offered to meet with protesters if they removed their masks but the protesters allegedly refused.
By 11 p.m., protesters had begun leaving the building.
The backstory:
According to reports, the protests are over two students who were expelled from Columbia University, who allegedly stormed into a classroom in early January and threw fliers with anti-Israel rhetoric.
The Source: This story was written using information from FOX 5 crews in the field.