Staff Reports
In a wild spectacle resembling a scene out of a Disney villain convention, a group of anti-Israel protesters stormed the Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station in a chaotic attempt to catch a ride to Columbia University. Armed with Palestinian flags and vocal cords of steel, the protesters chanted “Free, free, Palestine” as they clambered up the stairs like over-caffeinated mountain goats.
Despite the valiant efforts of law enforcement officers to prevent these free-speech crusaders from infiltrating the station en masse, a handful of them managed to slip through and cause a ruckus. Reports indicate that once inside, the protesters made a beeline for the uptown A train, presumably aiming to showcase their singing talents to the unsuspecting commuters on board.
NOW: Protesters rush into Penn Station to take the train to Columbia University
Most of the marchers were blocked from entering the station by police, but around 20-30 protesters managed to get inside pic.twitter.com/wRzRvcvr8f
— katie smith (@probablyreadit) April 30, 2024
The merry band of demonstrators didn’t stop at Penn Station, though. Like a traveling circus of discontent, they had earlier made pit stops at New York University, The New School, and the Fashion Institute of Technology. It seems they were on a mission to spread their message far and wide, much like a hyperactive mail carrier with a penchant for drama.
Between 50 to 100 protesters, like sardines in a can, somehow managed to squeeze themselves onto the already crowded train. Once aboard, they serenaded their fellow passengers with the catchy slogan, “Uptown A train you will see. Palestine is almost free.” It’s like a catchy pop tune, but with a political agenda.
NOW: Protesters in NYC march through Penn Station as they head to Columbia University
The march stopped by the encampments at NYU, The New School, and FIT earlier this afternoon pic.twitter.com/yDWeC0rRSi
— katie smith (@probablyreadit) April 30, 2024
Meanwhile, back at Columbia University, all was not peaceful on the Western (or rather, Eastern) front. The university, shaken by the antics of pro-Palestinian protesters who had taken over Hamilton Hall in the wee hours of the morning, promptly locked down the campus tighter than a pickle jar. Reports of shattered glass, makeshift barricades, and banners hanging precariously from windows painted a vivid picture of the chaos that ensued.
In a bold move straight out of an episode of a reality TV show gone wrong, the university even threatened to boot out the student occupiers who had turned Hamilton Hall into their impromptu clubhouse. It’s like a game of political musical chairs, but with higher stakes and fewer chairs.
This skirmish at Columbia was just one battlefront in the larger war of anti-Israel sentiment spreading across various universities like dandelions on a spring day. From Harvard to Rutgers to UCLA, and beyond, it seems that pro-Palestinian encampments are becoming as common on college campuses as existential crises during finals week. Will the tide of discontent ever ebb, or are we doomed to an eternity of flag-waving protesters and besieged academic buildings? Only time will tell, dear readers.
