MORNINGSIDE HEIGHTS, Manhattan (WABC) -- Police have charged a teenager in an attack at Columbia University that stemmed from activism related to the Israel-Gaza war.
Maxwell Friedman, 19, was charged with assault and harassment as a hate crime. They say on Wednesday, Friedman began ripping down pro-Israeli posters and shouting obscenities at a 24-year-old student as he hung those posters.
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Police say Friedman also struck the victim with a broomstick and fractured the man's finger.
The victim, who attends the Columbia School of General Studies, declined medical attention.
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The university responded by restricting access to campus on the day of the assault 'to help maintain safety and a sense of community through planned demonstration activities.'