Propalestinian protesters from the campus of Columbia University in new york. Dozens were arrested after Ivy League School decided it was finally time to call in the reinforcements. Hello, im jonathan hunt, live in los angeles with continuing coverage of the campus. Chaos across country. The situation at columbia escalated about 24 hours ago when the protesters broke into historic Hamilton Hall building. And just a few hours, officers in riot gear entered that building and swiftly made arrests. Columbia university has, of course, been the epicenter for propalestinian protests that have now spread to campuses around the country. Hundreds of students have been arrested nationwide and upcoming commencements are in danger being canceled. Lets get straight to fox news Correspondent Richardson for the latest on how it all unfolded at columbia. Good evening, rick. Good evening, jonathan. Columbia university is given the all clear after School Officials told students to shelter in this past evening. Hundreds of new York City Police officers arrested dozens of protesters whod occupied and barricade themselves in a Columbia University building. Officers scaled a Police Vehicle to enter columbias Hamilton Hall from a second floor window. Zip tied protesters and let them out in police buses. The University Says early tuesday, a group broke into the hall. Some were students, though columbia, says they were led by individuals who are not affiliated with the university. Columbia had threatened to expel students involved in occupying and vandalizing the hall. In a letter to the nypd university, president , manu shafiq requested police clear. Hamilton hall and all Tent Encampments. Shafiq says she informed in the encampments on the west lawn that they would be suspended. They refused to leave by 2 p. M. Monday, nearly two weeks ago, the nypd arrested more than 100 protesters. Many were released shortly after and demonstrators pitched new tents. The propalestinian groups have demanded that columbia from israel. Jewish students have accused the university fostering an antisemitic environment and say they were subjected harassment on campus. The encampment at columbia lasted about three weeks and began when shafiq and senior columbia administrators testified before a House Committee hearing here in d. C. , House Speaker mike johnson and senior republican lawmakers have called on shafiq resign over what they say is columbias refusal to protect jewish students. More than 20 House Democrats urged columbia to act decisively. Propalestinian encampments have grown at campuses across the country. The white house has refused to comment how individual universities are handling these protests. Only to say President Biden respects the right to Free Expression and believes protests must be peaceful. Back in new york, mayor eric adams is scheduled to speak at 9 a. M. On the columbia demonstrate. Jonathan rich, thank you very much. I know i am just getting a of live pictures now from the campus of ucla here in los angeles. There has been a violence breaking out there. Counterprotesters moved on to that campus to confront some of the pro palestinians who have been camped there for days now. And there is a scene of some chaos. We have been watching over the last couple of minutes, fights breaking out. You can what i believe, of firecrackers going off. There is. No, as far as we know, no Los Angeles Police department presence on campus at this point, although given the scenes that we are witnessing right now, that may change very quickly because now you have the propalestinian protesters who have been there for some time. And there you see on camera counterprotesters. One of them clearly carrying an israeli flag who are now clashing. Theres only been over the last few days, Campus Security there on the campus of ucla. And they have clearly failed at this point to keep the two sides up pop that were essentially two lines of metal barriers. There. But the protesters on both sides now appear to have taken those down and they are involved in clashes. It looks as though some semblance of order may be being restored in that the two sides are a little further apart than we have been witnessing over the last couple of minutes. But there was certainly some violence scuffles there. I still do not see any major security or any major Law Enforcement presence there. We there are journalists on scene. I know that some of them were up in the violence going on there. And as you see now, these are hard to tell which side these protesters are, but theyre trying essentially to put back the barriers. So i believe what you are seeing there with the propalestinian protesters trying to put the barriers back, which had been torn down by the proisraeli counterprotesters that youre at right now. This is an important scene were looking at right now because those counterprotesters, the proisraeli protesters, are moving directly towards the pro palestinian protesters. There you see them confronting each other again. It looks as though they are keeping a few yards of distance right now. But clearly items are being thrown from side to side. A very tense situation. And as i was mentioning, the lapd has not been on site. They have not been requested by the administration of ucla. So they have not been there. And it has been mainly Campus Security. Who clearly outnumbered badly by the number of protests on both sides right now. And as we look at those pictures, it is hard to see any Security Presence whatsoever. So clearly a very, very tense situation unfolding on the campus of ucla, one of the finest universities in the state of california. Indeed in the country. And now we are seeing these sad scenes of propalestinian and proisraeli protesters clashing and you see them holding parts of what were the fence there. They are holding the poles from signs. And if they do come together, it is a terrible thought what might happen. So i one imagines the Los Angeles PoliceDepartment Might be on the way there. One would certainly hope that something is going to happen and in a short time to keep those two sides apart. And out of here, you hear you have two protesters in a standoff, both of them carrying large poles and getting very close to each other, both threatening each other on the left, on screen left, i believe, of the propalestinian protesters on the right the pro israeli counterprotesters. And lets bring in now joe cardinal, a retired nypd lieutenant. Joe, as you are as you watch these scenes, how surprised are you on this is . I have to i would should point out this is only unfolded in about i would say the last 10 minutes maybe 20 at the most but how surprised are you that were not seeing a Police Presence on what is a Public University campus . Well, im not surprised. All because look how long it took them to bring the nypd into columbia. I mean, at what point do you turn around and say the safety of the public and the students is paramount above Everything Else and bring them in . The police should go in and the governor should be bringing the police in. But, you know, thats not going to happen because they cant hold them. They got all these protesters and they give in to their demands. I mean, jonathan, i was listening to your interview of the student press, the person representing the student press, and theyre like, oh, you know, we didnt want the pd. We didnt want this kind of presence. Its not what you want. Its what it needs to be done. I know this already. This is getting to the point where its outright dangerous. And shes saying they were nervous about police being there. What about the jewish students that were nervous walking on campus and couldnt even get to class . What about, their rights . I mean, at this point in this country, do we turn around and say enough is enough . When does the president of the united step in and say, listen, if you dont adhere to certain things that we want you to when it comes to the safety of our students, going to stop the funding for this school . And thats the only thing going to make them realize whats going on. Never mind suspensions. All right. These these individuals should not even make Commencement Exercises that are coming up in two weeks at columbia. But, joe, just to go back to the Law Enforcement part of this. This this would be they, the owner on the on the campus of a Public University, the l. A. Pd does not or does it need the permission of Ucla Administration to go in . If there is anarchy, there, as we are seeing right now and straight out brawls between two sets of protesters, can the lapd just move straight in there . Oh, absolutely. They can. But whos holding them back . No, the court of Public Opinion is holding them back because they kowtow to them every single time. Its enough already. Bring it. Bring the lapd in there. Let them do what they have to do. Bring them mounted units in. If you have to separate two sides, clear that campus and dont let them make it in camp and out of it again, because once there they had these encampments and they were emboldened to do this. Thats what thats the outcome youre going to get. And jonathan, heres Something Else were. Going to see what happens over the next couple of weeks with what happening in New York City. Lets see what kind of arrest. Stick with this. Lets see who bails them out. The fines going to be paid. Lets see if its going to be a slap on the wrist because we do not make an example of this right now. Its only going to rekindle the fire. And this time its going to be a blaze thats going to be Out Of Control. Yeah. And were just seeing now, joe, as we watch that some of the counterprotest fighters are throwing large wooden poles at the propalestinian protesters. I should i should point out my wife is a reporter for kptv. Our Local Fox Affiliate is down there. They she and her crew just got Pepper Sprayed by some of the protesters who are taking out their anger against the media as usual as well. It seems were were on the brink of anarchy on the on a Major University campus. And nobody is doing anything about it. It really does seem an extraordinary situation. And i know you said the nypd. It took a while for them to be asked in by columbia. They did go in and performed what appeared to be a pretty Textbook Operation to clear out the campus. And surely we have to that on more campuses now. We go way beyond First Amendment free speech rights, havent we, joe . Oh, they most certainly have. And you know, jonathan, they really should be in there ready . Not for just one side of this, the pro palestinian, but for both sides, because its going to get to the point where somebody is going to get hurt very badly or possibly killed over on this campus. And then theyre going to oh, now we can move in. No, you do not. You get proactive with this. You dont get reactive. You get proactive and you go in there and you take control of the situation. You do not wait for somebody to get hurt. Yeah. And i weve been watching today, joe, over the last few days some jewish students who are very fearful on the of ucla and some jewish students who are frankly very, very angry that their Freedom Of Movement is being trumped by what the protesters say is their freedom of speech. Jewish students who say they cannot walk across campus. Some of them are scared, too. Some of them have tried to and simply have their path blocked. And i know, having spoken to some friends there among the jewish community, some friends of mine, they have been running out of patience and. I think i dont know who these people are now, the kind of protesters, but clearly people have run out of patience. Clearly, theyve had enough. And these are some of the propalestinian protesters once again, going after the media here. There you go. Sorry, joe. And thats the problem though when you dont take action. You let them. Thats when the people take the action into their own hands. They take the law into their own hands and make their own actions. And this is the result of it. So if you curb this from the beginning and you dont allow this to happen and you make enforce the laws that are already there, then you can take control of it. Why do you wait for a situation to get blown Out Of Control . It is point. Why do you wait . You should send in the Police Department right now. They should be in there. The government should say enough is enough. Go in there and take control of the situation. Do what you have to do before somebody gets killed. Yeah, and it really does joe seem like this could get so out of hand so quickly. And i wonder, in your experience with the nypd do you look at Something Like this, these pictures were looking now and this is an absolute flashpoint. This is where we absolutely have to draw the line. I know you say that they should have drawn a line much earlier ,but at this point, i mean, we are we are in a really dangerous situation. It seems to me that for a lot of young people. Absolutely. And jonathan, years ago and im not sure, you know, you have to compare we never let it get to this point. We have the Crown Heights riots at one time, and i remember that very well. But, you know, we got to the point where we made the even said, all right, we have to do something here. You can only go so far with the peaceful approach and allowing people to as said, you know, peacefully protest. But this is so peaceful protest. This is so beyond that. Four days and four weeks now and they are involved in and you dont stop that from the beginning. This is the point they get to and they think that they can get away just about anything because they have gotten away with everything. So, joe, stop sending the Police Department right now. Take control here. Joe, stand by for one second. Let ask the control room and our executive producer, linda lombardi, if we can take kateb sound, our fox affiliate here, and listen to their reporter. The ground by name on a scale other than make your piece. And then everybody has got report, it seems were having its hard to hear the reporter there but you can very plainly hear the noise that has been going on. Im told about an hour ago the the counterprotesters, the proisraeli protesters were playing very loud music. At one point on loudspeakers. And then they were broadcasting the sound of a baby crying clearly, trying to make it uncomfortable for the for the protesters. Lets listen again to that, that kgtv reporter Chelsea Edwards, many, many, many, many moms, many, many, many, many moms. Yeah, theyre clearly having trouble with their audio there. That reporter Chelsea Edwards texted me just short time ago telling me that she and her crew had been Pepper Sprayed. You can see the the marks of that on on the reporters face there. Those tears caused by pepper spray, which is not a fun substance to be sprayed with, i can tell you from experience. We dont have her audio right now. But clearly, were getting a very good view from our fox Affiliate Katv of what is going on on the campus. And this this now with columbia ,a University Of New York cleared out ucla, the Blue Ribbon University of the uc system in many ways, as has now become the epicenter of ongoing protest movement, which as we were talking with joe and joe, if youre still there, we were talking about how its gone beyond beyond to free speech here. And joe, if you were as an nypd officer, if you were looking at this, what the lapd do. Do they just to form a line and get between the two sides . How do you how do you game plan on operation like this to keep these people from really hurting each other . Joe . You put on the gear the way they did at columbia. You go in there, you form wedges, you make a path to separate the two sides and you control the situation the best you can until you get those two sides separated. You start effecting arrests. She starts, arrest us. So important. All right. You really need to effect the arrest because thats showing the count. And im not saying arrest all of everybody. You get the combatants that of with those sticks, you start them and then you work your way. But you must separate those two sides and you need to clear that area out. That area must be cleared out. If they do not comply, you affect an arrest. Very simple so level of tolerance. Ive never seen this before. Yeah, it really is. It really is to watch this this tolerance for for for protests that has become violent. It has been harassing. It has been intimidating. It has been according to many jewish students on the campus, it has been outright antisemitic in places. And now the anger among counterprotesters. We we assume that some of those counterprotesters are jewish. They arent necessarily they might just among that number have students who are angry to see so much of their campus taken in this way. But clearly, we are seeing a complete breakdown of Law And Order on the campus. An