"We have received a bomb threat to the building. You need to leave now, this is not a joke," Barnard College's Vice President of Strategic Communications, Robin Levine, told the protesters.
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On Wednesday, New York City's Barnard College was evacuated over unconfirmed reports of a bomb threat. The evacuation occurred shortly after pro-Palestinian activists occupied the college library, demanding the reinstatement of three students who were expelled from the university for their roles in the infamous 2024 seizure of Hamilton Hall at Columbia University. It's unclear if the alleged threat was related to the demonstration.
According to video footage posted to X, Barnard College's Vice President of Strategic Communications, Robin Levine, informed protesters that there was an alleged bomb threat to the building and that the activists needed to immediately vacate for their safety.
"We have received a bomb threat to the building," Levine told the protesters. "You need to leave now, this is not a joke."
Despite the warning, the activists refused to exit the premises because of their personal beliefs that the bomb threat was a hoax. Additional video footage showed students evacuating the building after an alert was issued over loudspeaker.
Around 1 pm EST, pro-Palestinian demonstrators occupied the library at the college's Milstein Center. The incident prompted Barnard College to issue a notice to protesters demanding that they leave the building or face repercussions. Barnard College is an affiliate of Columbia University.
According to video and photos shared to social media, masked demonstrators hung an effigy of Barnard College president Laura A. Rosenbury and put up "wanted" posters featuring Leslie Grinage, the Dean of Students. The group entered the Milstein Library around 1 pm EST and demanded the reinstatement of pro-Palestinian students, per video footage posted on X.
Protesters with Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), a coalition of anti-Israel student groups, held Palestinian flags inside the building and issued demands via chants on megaphones: "We want justice, you say how? Un-expel our students now." The demonstrators also brought drums and noisemakers, the Daily News reported.
Public safety officers blocked the entrance to the building around 1:20 pm, according to BWOG, a student newspaper. The university issued a notice to the protesters demanding they immediately exit the building to avoid "further action."
"You are receiving this notice because you are blocking the lobby and disrupting College operations in the Milstein Center, which is a central place for studying and learning on our campus. We are providing this written notice to document what we have verbally shared with you already," the memo reads. "Your actions are disrupting College operations, and failure to disperse quickly could lead to the interruption of scheduled classes. Barnard will not tolerate any disruption or interruption to our academic mission."
The administration claimed that the protesters violated the university's rules and policies, including Barnard College's Maintenance of Public Order, Code of Conduct, and Temporary Policy for Safe Campus Demonstrations.
"This notice is a final request from the College that you immediately cease participation in the activity and leave Milstein," the memo continued. "If you do not comply with this request, we will take further action as necessary to clear the building. If you are not a Barnard student, you must immediately leave the Barnard campus. The College encourages you to take this notice seriously and immediately leave the building."
According to a document obtained by the student newspaper, CUAD listed a set of demands for the university to comply with. The demands included: immediate reversal of the three Barnard students' expulsions, amnesty for all students disciplined for pro-Palestine speech or action, close the Barnard Office for Student Intervention and Success and any other disciplinary bodies that lack community oversight, and a public meeting with the Dean of Students and college president.
"We will not stop until our demands are met," the demonstrators said.
Barnard College announced in an email that the Milstein Library would be "temporarily closed" and classes in the building would be relocated.
This situation remains ongoing at the time of publication.
According to video footage posted to X, Barnard College's Vice President of Strategic Communications, Robin Levine, informed protesters that there was an alleged bomb threat to the building and that the activists needed to immediately vacate for their safety.
"We have received a bomb threat to the building," Levine told the protesters. "You need to leave now, this is not a joke."
Despite the warning, the activists refused to exit the premises because of their personal beliefs that the bomb threat was a hoax. Additional video footage showed students evacuating the building after an alert was issued over loudspeaker.
Around 1 pm EST, pro-Palestinian demonstrators occupied the library at the college's Milstein Center. The incident prompted Barnard College to issue a notice to protesters demanding that they leave the building or face repercussions. Barnard College is an affiliate of Columbia University.
According to video and photos shared to social media, masked demonstrators hung an effigy of Barnard College president Laura A. Rosenbury and put up "wanted" posters featuring Leslie Grinage, the Dean of Students. The group entered the Milstein Library around 1 pm EST and demanded the reinstatement of pro-Palestinian students, per video footage posted on X.
Protesters with Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), a coalition of anti-Israel student groups, held Palestinian flags inside the building and issued demands via chants on megaphones: "We want justice, you say how? Un-expel our students now." The demonstrators also brought drums and noisemakers, the Daily News reported.
Public safety officers blocked the entrance to the building around 1:20 pm, according to BWOG, a student newspaper. The university issued a notice to the protesters demanding they immediately exit the building to avoid "further action."
"You are receiving this notice because you are blocking the lobby and disrupting College operations in the Milstein Center, which is a central place for studying and learning on our campus. We are providing this written notice to document what we have verbally shared with you already," the memo reads. "Your actions are disrupting College operations, and failure to disperse quickly could lead to the interruption of scheduled classes. Barnard will not tolerate any disruption or interruption to our academic mission."
The administration claimed that the protesters violated the university's rules and policies, including Barnard College's Maintenance of Public Order, Code of Conduct, and Temporary Policy for Safe Campus Demonstrations.
"This notice is a final request from the College that you immediately cease participation in the activity and leave Milstein," the memo continued. "If you do not comply with this request, we will take further action as necessary to clear the building. If you are not a Barnard student, you must immediately leave the Barnard campus. The College encourages you to take this notice seriously and immediately leave the building."
According to a document obtained by the student newspaper, CUAD listed a set of demands for the university to comply with. The demands included: immediate reversal of the three Barnard students' expulsions, amnesty for all students disciplined for pro-Palestine speech or action, close the Barnard Office for Student Intervention and Success and any other disciplinary bodies that lack community oversight, and a public meeting with the Dean of Students and college president.
"We will not stop until our demands are met," the demonstrators said.
Barnard College announced in an email that the Milstein Library would be "temporarily closed" and classes in the building would be relocated.
This situation remains ongoing at the time of publication.
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