Metro

Columbia University NYC subway station defaced with bright red anti-Israel graffiti

By
Social Links for Amanda Woods
Published June 21, 2024, 2:20 p.m. ET

The Columbia University subway station was defaced with anti-Israel graffiti in bright red paint this week — months after protesters occupied the Morningside Heights Ivy League campus. 

A station superintendent was riding a southbound No. 1 train around 2:15 a.m. Wednesday when he spotted the brazen graffiti on both the northbound and southbound platforms of the 116th St-Columbia University station, cops said. 

The messages included “Long Live Hind’s Hall” — a reference to the university’s iconic Hamilton Hall, which occupiers renamed this past spring in honor of Hind Rajab, a 6-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed in the Middle Eastern conflict, according to photos posted on X. 

A station superintendent spotted the brazen graffiti on both the northbound and southbound platforms of the 116th St - Columbia University station, cops said.
A station superintendent spotted the brazen graffiti on both the northbound and southbound platforms of the 116th St – Columbia University station, cops said. GlobalPressCorp/X

The graffitied words “Divest Now,” “Funds Genocide” and “GTFO of Harlem” could also be seen under the “Columbia University” tiling on the station walls.

“Free Palestine,” another message said, in addition to “Intifada” scrawled on a station column. 

The superintendent called 911 to report the vandalism, cops said. 

No arrests had been made by Friday and the investigation is ongoing. 

- August 19, 2017: 116th Street Subway Station, Columbia University in the New York City Subway System on the 1 train line.
The superintendent called 911 to report the brazen vandalism, cops said. Alamy Stock Photo

Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine posted images of the graffiti on X, accompanied by the caption, “From an anonymous submission: We left Columbia University a little Juneteenth present. Columbia property doesn’t exist when they’ve stolen everything they have. Columbia must stop funding genocide and get out of Harlem.”

The vandalism was discovered one day before Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office dismissed cases against 31 of 46 people charged with trespassing following the NYPD’s dramatic April 30 raid.