Stewart described how the violence began:

I went to the table where Jim, Dr. Jerome Corsi and I would be conducting the Q & A portion of the program, which was to the right of the podium. At that time, Chris briefly admonished the protesters and then introduced Jim. Jim immediately walked over toward me and placed his arm around [me and looked] out into the audience and made the following statement "Who is the racist here?" and then walked back to the podium where he dialogued no more than seven minutes when the protesters stormed the stage with their banner which was unfurled to the right of me where I was sitting. I briefly did a visual of the banner. I noticed the Spanish, English and Arabic or Farsi writing on the banner, which I assumed was anti-Semitic because of all the racial epithets that were hurled at me. …"

I was taken aback at what was occurring, and I went into the defense mode. I got up from the table were I was sitting, and as I was getting up, several students jumped on the stage were I was at and placed their hands on me in a threatening manner. By that time, I had withdrawn my pepper spray and pointed it at the face of one the protesters whose hand was upon me, and I spoke the following words to them, "What's your decision?" By that time, they removed their hands from me.

During this time period, I looked toward my left where Jim was because I heard a loud thud from the podium falling as a result of a large crowd of students jumping on the stage. By this time, Columbia's security approached me and asked me to leave the stage and return to the green room.

Columbia University Press quickly escorted the Minutemen from the state, taking them downstairs to the Green Room. After allowing a few minutes for the protest to subside, Columbia University Press safely escorted the Minutemen out a side door.

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