The union of a Barnard College security guard hurt during a brief takeover of a campus building demanded Thursday the alleged assailant protesting for Gaza be prosecuted.
In a news release, Transport Workers Union said the 41-year-old security officer was at his post at Milbank Hall on Wednesday afternoon when demonstrators forced their way through to demand Barnard, an affiliate of Columbia University, reverse the expulsions of two students engaged in protest activity.
The guard was just steps away when he was pushed and shoved during what the union described as a “stampede.”
Video posted by the protesters confirmed the union’s account of a rush of people by the officer on Wednesday. A Barnard spokeswoman also said there had been an assault.
“In the eyes of some of these trust-fund baby ideologues, harming the blue-collar TWU workforce at Barnard is seen as acceptable collateral damage in their quest to advance their political cause,” TWU International President John Samuelsen said in a statement.
“Those responsible for this assault should be identified and prosecuted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.”
Barnard did not return a request for comment Thursday afternoon, but college president Laura Rosenbury has condemned protesters for their “disregard for the safety of our community.”
It was the second time TWU has called out Columbia and its affiliates for not doing enough to keep its union members safe. Last year, the union came to the defense of custodians held against their will when protesters occupied Hamilton Hall.
The DA’s office declined to comment. As of Thursday, there had been no arrests for Bragg’s office to prosecute without opening its own investigation.
According to the TWU, protesters allegedly pinned the worker against the beam separating two entrance doors. The union accused one individual of lowering his shoulder to slam into the officer.
The guard felt neck and body soreness, chest tightness, and shortness of breath, and sought medical attention, the TWU said. He was released after an evaluation at Mount Sinai Morningside.
An anonymous protester told the student newspaper, Columbia Spectator, the roughness was in self-defense. The Daily News could not independently verify their claim.
Another officer was present but not injured.
In an interview with The News, Samuelsen said he wanted the assailant “locked up.”
“I’m not saying they were all violent, but this particular one forcefully put his shoulder into the middle of the chest of our member,” the union boss said.
Samuelsen added Barnard needs to hire more security workers and clarify the rules in the event that a guard is assaulted on the job. He did not rule out his members bringing lawsuits against the college or an individual protester.
“It’s like a complete failure on the part of Barnard to protect both our workers and any other students who just want to go to school.”
“We want to know that our members are not going to be disciplined if they defend themselves against these sort of like smarmy, wee shites that think it’s okay to assault blue-collar workers that are just coming in to earn a living.”
Wednesday’s disruption lasted more than six hours, until protesters dispersed under threat of disciplinary action and NYPD involvement. Campus news sources said a few students were offered a meeting with the Barnard administration the next day, but videos show the plan was jeopardized when protesters refused to remove masks.
Dozens of protesters and counter-protesters on Thursday picketed outside the campus gates, which were closed to the public. The group then marched to CUNY’s City College in Harlem, where Gov. Hochul was scheduled to speak at a workforce event that was called off at the eleventh hour.
The two Barnard students were expelled after a Jan. 21 class disruption on the history of modern Israel, with flyers of a storm trooper boot crushing a Star of David and calls to “Burn Zionism to the Ground.”
With Thomas Tracy
