Over 50 students arrested in pro-Palestinian protest at Columbia University

Over 50 students arrested in pro-Palestinian protest at Columbia University (Picture credit: NYT)

Over 50 pro-Palestinian demonstrators were arrested Wednesday evening after occupying a reading room in Columbia University’s Butler Library, in a protest that reignited tensions over the Gaza war on US campuses.The occupation began around 3 pm (local time), when masked protesters, many wearing keffiyehs, stormed into the second-floor reading room of Butler Library. Videos shared online showed students chanting “We have nothing to lose but our chains!” while declaring the area a “liberated zone” and renaming it the “Basel Al-Araj Popular University.”Al-Araj was a Palestinian activist killed by Israeli forces in 2017.Protesters draped banners reading “Strike for Gaza,” stood on desks using megaphones, and distributed pamphlets calling for Columbia to divest from firms allegedly profiting from Israel’s military campaign. Some demonstrators defaced library walls and tables, according to New York Post, while one sign inside reportedly read “Columbia Will Burn.”University officials initially deployed campus security, warning students they could face disciplinary action and arrest if they didn’t leave. But when protesters refused to show identification and described being “kettled” inside, the standoff escalated. Acting Columbia president Claire Shipman then requested the NYPD’s intervention.“Requesting the presence of the NYPD is not the outcome we wanted, but it was absolutely necessary to secure the safety of our community,” Shipman said in a statement quoted by The New York Times.The university reported that two public safety officers were injured in a crowd surge. Protesters also claimed some injuries, with one seen leaving on a stretcher, partially covered, with an ice pack on their arm.The NYPD arrived in riot gear around 7 pm (local time), entering the library and arresting 75 individuals, according to The Guardian. Video footage showed protesters being led out in zip ties and loaded into waiting buses. A message sent to students at 6 pm (local time) had warned that the library was closed and the area “must be cleared.”New York Mayor Eric Adams called the protest “unacceptable” and was quoted by NBC as saying that the NYPD acted upon a written request from the university. “We will never tolerate lawlessness,” he said in a later statement, adding that protesters who are not affiliated with Columbia should leave or face arrest. Governor Kathy Hochul also weighed in, saying, “Everyone has the right to peacefully protest. But violence, vandalism or destruction of property are completely unacceptable.”US secretary of state Marco Rubio said the visa status of international students involved in the protest would be reviewed, calling the demonstrators “pro-Hamas thugs” in a statement. Jewish student groups also criticised the protest, with one group sharing an image of the vandalised library and saying it was “unacceptable to have fully masked strangers barging into learning institutions.”The protest comes as Columbia faces pressure from the Trump administration, which cut over $400 million in federal research funding due to the university’s alleged failure to protect Jewish students. As per The New York Times, officials are currently in talks to restore that funding. The university on Tuesday announced layoffs of nearly 180 staff, largely tied to research grants affected by the cuts.The Butler Library protest echoed last spring’s occupation of Hamilton Hall and a broader encampment movement on US campuses. Since then, Columbia has tightened security, banned masks during demonstrations, and authorised 36 campus safety officers to make arrests. As per The Guardian, Columbia’s leadership has seen multiple changes amid backlash over the administration’s perceived compliance with federal demands that critics argue threaten academic freedom.Columbia University Apartheid Divest(CUAD), which organised Wednesday’s action, has drawn criticism for supporting armed resistance. The group’s latest statement called on students “to propagate the successes of the heroic Palestinian armed resistance in weakening Israel and US imperialism.”As final exams approach, university officials have pledged consequences. “Disruptions to our academic activities will not be tolerated,” said Shipman. “This is especially unacceptable while our students study and prepare for final exams.”