Charges dropped against dozens of protesters who occupied Columbia University

Students, staff and activists that occupied university offices at Columbia to protest the war against Hamas appeared in court on Thursday only to have many of the charges dropped against them.

Of the 46 people arrested for occupying Hamilton Hall on the university campus, 31 had charges dropped, NBC News reported.

University authorities called police when they felt barricaded in their offices. Police "seemingly escalated tensions and sparked greater turnout" in protests that came after during the weekend, AFP reported.

"Those arrested included at least 14 Columbia undergraduates, nine graduate students, two employees, and six students from affiliated schools," a Columbia University spokesperson has said.

Approximately 13 had no affiliation with the school.

"The 31 people whose cases were dismissed were students or staff at Columbia, Barnard or Union Theological Seminary," said the report.

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