New York, New York - University students in New York City took a stand for Palestine on Thursday on the two-year anniversary of the Columbia Hind's Hall occupation and violent police crackdowns.

Video on social media showed dozens of people in "Free Palestine" t-shirts and keffiyehs gathered on the steps of Columbia's Low Memorial Library to demand the university divest from Israel.

The Sunrise Movement said over 100 people had participated in the action, which took place two years after students occupied a university building and renamed it after Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl killed by Israeli soldiers in Gaza in January 2024.

The NYPD launched a militarized raid to end the Hind's Hall occupation at the behest of then Columbia University President Minouche Shafik, resulting in more than 100 student arrests.

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Fallout over the violent crackdown led to Shafik's resignation in August 2024.

Meanwhile, Israel has destroyed every university in Gaza since it launched its all-out siege in October 2023 – deemed a genocide by numerous human rights organizations and experts, including the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry.

"Today, the Columbia community honored Palestinian scholars killed in Gaza and demanded what should have happened long ago: DIVESTMENT," Sunrise Movement posted on Instagram.

"Over 625,000 students once learned in Gaza. Now universities are rubble. This is scholasticide – and Columbia is still invested," the group said.

Columbia's Office of Public Affairs said protesters had not adhered to the university's "pre-notification requirement for demonstrations," adding that it had sought the identities of masked participants.

Former presidential candidate Dr. Cornel West was among the demonstrators. "No bullets, no bombs, no drones can crush the best of the human spirit, no matter where you are or what part of the world," he said in a speech to the assembled crowd.

The demonstrations continued on Thursday with a march from Columbia to the City College of New York.

"Two years after the Gaza solidarity, encampments and brutal NYPD raids, the student intifada is as strong as ever. Despite attempts to block us, we took the streets & marched defiantly from Columbia University to the gates of CCNY!" CUNY for Palestine posted on X along with videos and photos of the action.

Ahead of the march, the group outlined its demands to Mayor Zohran Mamdani, which include calling on CUNY to divest from Israel, removing Jessica Tisch as NYPD commissioner, shutting down the illegal sale of Palestinian land in New York City, reimposing taxes on Columbia and NYU, and abolishing the CUNY Board of Trustees.

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"April 30th marks two years since the NYPD, at the instruction of university administration, violently raided the Gaza Solidarity Encampments at the City College of New York and Columbia University," the statement read.

"In the two years since, the genocidal crimes of the Zionist entity have only intensified."

"The student movement for Palestine must increase pressure on our universities to sever all ties with the Zionist entity, striking at the material and ideological support that allows the Zionist entity to continue its colonization of Palestine."