NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- A 19-year-old woman attacked a 24-year-old male Israeli student with a stick outside of Columbia University's main library amid division on campus regarding the Israel-Hamas war.
The police responded to a report of the assault in Morningside Heights – outside Butler Library – at 6:10 p.m. on Wednesday, cops said.
The attack occurred when the victim confronted the woman after watching her tear down flyers displaying the names and pictures of Israelis kidnapped by Hamas last weekend, according to the Columbia Daily Spectator, which first reported the attack.
The victim, who asked to be referred to as I.A. in an interview with The Spectator for fear of his safety, suffered minor injuries that include a bruised hand and broken ring finger.
I.A. will not be returning to campus for several days, and warned other Jewish and Israeli students about hostilities on campus as protests over the war continue.
“We were all kinds of shocked that this stuff can happen on our own campus, which should be a safe haven,” I.A. said.
I.A. and a group of classmates first encountered the woman earlier on Wednesday when hanging signs of Hamas kidnap victims in Uris Hall, a friend of the victim told The Spectator. She helped the group hang posters throughout the morning, claiming to be Jewish.
At 5:30 p.m., I.A. and four other students saw the suspect again – now with a bandana covering her face – as she ripped the posters down.
When they approached her the suspect fired obscenities toward the students and hit I.A. with a stick. The victim said he defended himself when the suspect tried to punch him in the face.
“We don’t know how to handle the situation, let alone that our families and friends are going through the worst nightmare, and we are mentally in the same ship with them,” I.A. said. “And, now, we have to handle the situation that campus is not a safe place for us anymore.”
A spokesman for Columbia University told 1010 WINS that the University has no comment, and to direct inquiries to the NYPD.