Israeli Columbia Student Assaulted With Stick On Campus: NYPD, Report

MORNINGSIDE HEIGHTS, NY - A Columbia University student from Israel was assaulted with a stick in front of Butler Library Wednesday afternoon, authorities said.

19-year-old Maxwell Friedman, of Brooklyn, was charged with assault, police said. The assault was first reported by the Columbia Spectator.

The 24-year-old male student from the School of General Studies was embroiled in a dispute with Friedman about 5:30 p.m. before the woman struck the student on the hand with a stick, police said.

The student didn’t report any major injuries to police and refused medical attention at the scene.

Earlier Wednesday at the university’s Uris Hall, Friedman approached the student and others who were putting up posters with names and photos of Israeli hostages reportedly taken by Hamas, Columbia Spectator reported.

Friedman reportedly asked to join the group and stayed with them through the day, the outlet said.

It was about 5:30 p.m. when Friedman allegedly donned a bandana covering her face and began ripping the flyers off the wall, the Columbia Spectator said. The students reported the incident to Columbia Public Safety, who contacted the NYPD.

As of 6 a.m. Thursday, access to the Morningside campus will only be

valid for Columbia University ID holders.

The attack comes amid at least three violent incidents overnight in New York City, all of which were apparently inspired by the bloody conflict between Israel and Hamas. Read more: Israel-Hamas War Inspires Violent NYC Street Attacks: Cops, Reports

All three incidents — which included an 18-year-old Palestinian man who was beaten by a group of attackers who waved Israeli flags from a car — unfolded over the span of hours Wednesday night in Brooklyn.

They also came after NYPD officials ordered all officers to appear in uniform in anticipation of upcoming mass protests Friday in support of Palestinians, the New York Post reported.

-With reporting by Matt Troutman.