Barnard student demands action after pro-Hamas protest turns violent, calls out school's 'pathetic' response

Pro-Hamas protests have reignited on a major college campus, and students are calling for stronger action from administrators.

Aufzien said she was caught off guard by the protest and did not initially realize how serious the situation was.

"I had no idea that there was going to be a protest," she said. "When I walked through the doors and saw a huge 'Free Palestine' banner draped from the second-floor landing, I assumed it was just a sit-in. I didn't realize how violent it would be."

While protesters accused Barnard employees of harassing and shoving students, the school administration attempted to negotiate with the demonstrators. Talks broke down when officials required the protesters to remove their face coverings as a condition of further discussion.

Aufzien expressed frustration with how the school handled the standoff.

"Barnard spent hours negotiating with protesters, but the terms of the negotiations should've been either you disperse immediately and present identification, or we're calling the cops," she said. "I'm really disappointed because admin literally like handed protesters get-out-of-jail-free cards."

Aufzien warned that without serious consequences, the situation could escalate like last year's protests.

"I literally just want to go to class. It's midterm season right now," she said. "[My parents] are paying 95,000 dollars a year for me to be educated and I can't even access that education. It's pathetic."

She also emphasized the severity of the protesters' actions.

"Protesters took a dean hostage. They refused to let her go to the bathroom. And they impeded students from accessing an education. That should be grounds for not just condemnation, but real change. And that's what I want to see, and I haven't seen it yet.