Anti-Israel activists came out in full force to disrupt the start of classes at Columbia University on Tuesday.

The day began when dozens of antisemites prevented students from entering campus. Wearing keffiyehs and chanting “from the river to the sea”, they called on the university to divest from Israel and end the “genocide” in Gaza.

On campus, red paint was unceremoniously dumped on the university’s bronze Alma Mater statue. Unity of Fields, a self-described “militant front against the US-NATO-Zionist axis of imperialism,” took credit for the vandalism.

“The first day of classes at Columbia University is drenched in blood. We act in full support of the Palestinian resistance,” the Hamas-loving group posted on X. “This action is first & foremost an effort to extend the successes of the Palestinian resistance to the heart of the empire itself, to translate their resilience in Gaza to unrest & violence in America.

“We refuse to trade in the blood of Palestinians, and until Columbia commits to full financial disclosure and complete divestment from Zionist apartheid, occupation, and genocide, we do not deserve a first day of school.”

Meanwhile, outside the gates of nearby Barnard College, anti-Israel protesters refused to follow police orders to disband, leading to two arrests. An online flyer advertising the protest encouraged attendees to “wear a mask” and “shut down” classes for the sake of Palestine.