Riot police on Friday stormed a building at New School, a university in New York City, to retake it from protesting students demanding the resignation of Bob Kerrey, the university's president.
Police broke down doors around 10:30 a.m. and retook the student center on Fifth Avenue of Manhattan, according to New York Daily News.
The police reportedly dragged 19 protesters out in handcuffs.
"This is wrong and we need to change the way this university is run," graduate student Scott Ritner, a supporter of the protesters, was quoted as saying.
About 60 students from New School in Exile and the Radical Students Union had barricaded themselves inside the graduate faculty building at 65 Fifth Avenue between 13th and 14th Streets, New York Local TV channel NY1 reported.
More than 100 police officers, fire chiefs, and emergency responders arrived on the scene just after 11 o'clock this morning with plastic handcuffs, about three hours after the situation began, NY1 said.
Apart from demanding the resignation of the president, the students were protesting the school's high tuition and lack of scholarships and what they claim is a lack of communication between the university and the students.
Kerrey, 65, a former Democratic senator from Nebraska and presidential hopeful, has led the New School since 2001.
Charges against the four females and 15 males arrested are pending, polices sources were quoted as saying.
The university released a statement on Friday afternoon saying all students who occupied the building will be suspended pending administrative review.
Source: Xinhua
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