Drone footage shows before and after of Columbia students' encampment in NYC

NEW YORK, US - MAY 2, 2024: Drone footage captured before and after of Columbia University encampment in New York, US. Around 300 people were arrested after police responded to pro-Palestine protests at Columbia University and the City College of New York late Tuesday, according to New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Police officers late Tuesday entered Columbia's Hamilton Hall, which was held by pro-Palestinian protesters, and the building was cleared of demonstrators about two hours later. Columbia's protests began in April and have served as a flashpoint for the wider anti-war movement after Shafik initially asked the NYPD to deploy to campus on April 18, when more than 100 people were taken into custody in an attempt to clear an encampment. Demonstrators quickly adapted, however, and opened a new sit-in on another university lawn. The antiwar protesters have been incensed by Israel's ongoing offensive on Gaza following last October's cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas, which killed around 1,200 people. More than 34,500 Palestinians have since been killed and over 76,000 injured. Israel has imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation. (Footage by Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)