New York City, USA| A dramatic escalation unfolded at Columbia University on Tuesday as a large group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators stormed the university’s iconic Butler Library, prompting a swift police response and the arrest of approximately 70 individuals.
The protest, spearheaded by the student-led group Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), marks the latest flashpoint in a growing wave of campus activism over the Israel-Palestine conflict.
According to reports from major U.S. media outlets, around 100 individuals gained access to the library during a demonstration organized by CUAD, which has long accused the university of complicity in Israeli state violence through its financial and institutional affiliations.
Protesters draped Palestinian flags across library walls, covered their faces with masks and scarves, and allegedly vandalized sections of the building.
Graffiti reading “Columbia will burn” circulated widely on social media, igniting public concern.
Videos from the scene showed university security attempting to block additional protesters from entering the building.
In one clip, officers are seen detaining roughly 30 individuals inside the library, their hands zip-tied behind their backs.
Later that evening, the New York Police Department (NYPD) erected barricades outside the building as chanting demonstrators rallied in solidarity, calling for a free Palestine.
In an official statement, Columbia’s Interim President Claire Shipman defended the university’s decision to request police intervention.
She noted that the protestors repeatedly refused to present identification while occupying the reading room, a key study space during the university’s final examination period.
Shipman also revealed that two campus security officers sustained injuries during the demonstrators’ forced entry.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams supported the law enforcement action, warning that individuals found trespassing—especially those unaffiliated with the university—would face arrest.
“Public safety is paramount,” Adams said. “Protests must remain lawful, and Columbia’s campus cannot become a site of uncontrolled occupation.”
Governor Kathy Hochul also weighed in, stating on social media, “Everyone has the right to peaceful protest, but violence, criminal behavior, and property destruction will never be tolerated in New York.”
The incident highlights Columbia University’s increasingly central role in nationwide debates over academic freedom, student activism, and the U.S. response to the Israel-Gaza war.
Since the October 2023 escalation in the Middle East, Columbia has emerged as a hotbed of pro-Palestinian organizing and has seen multiple sit-ins, encampments, and confrontations with police.
Tensions between the university and the federal government have also intensified. The Trump administration recently revoked $400 million in federal funding from Columbia, citing the institution’s alleged failure to adequately address antisemitic harassment targeting Jewish students.
In response, federal officials have demanded disciplinary action against student protest leaders—demands that Columbia has partially met, suspending several students and restricting campus access to others.
Critics view the federal funding cut as part of a broader strategy by the Trump administration to crack down on what it perceives as anti-Israel and antisemitic sentiment within American higher education.
University administrators nationwide are now grappling with how to balance the rights of students to protest with growing pressure from political leaders and donor communities.
As campus unrest spreads across the country, the events at Columbia may serve as a defining case in the ongoing national struggle over protest, free speech, and university governance amid an increasingly polarized political climate.
Share This Post