Police arrested dozens of pro-Palestinian demonstrators who took over part of Columbia University’s main library on May 7.
Ahead of finals week at the Ivy League campus, student activists clashed with campus public safety officials and contracted security guards inside and outside Butler Library.
Videos posted to social media showed confrontations between university officials at the entrance to a reading room inside the library. Outside, scores of students gathered, with some trying to force their way into the building.
Dozens of people donning masks and keffiyehs could be seen chanting and hoisting signs in support of Palestinians and Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia graduate student who has been held in Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention over his pro-Palestinian advocacy.
Claire Shipman, Columbia University’s acting president, said in an update that the university asked New York City police to assist in securing the building.
In the evening, the university sent a campus text alert that the library is closed and the area must be cleared. Shipman said two campus public safety personnel were injured in a crowd rush. The student radio news station WKCR reported demonstrators had also been injured.
NYPD officers wearing helmets and face shields entered the campus from a closed-off street.
An NYPD spokesperson said police made multiple arrests but declined to provide an exact amount. Police officers escorted dozens of people cuffed in zip ties onto NYPD buses and vans, Reuters reported.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio tweeted that officials would review visa statuses for those who took over the library.
Just outside campus gates, another group of demonstrators gathered in support of those arrested.
University officials earlier said there was a disruption in a reading room, and people were asked for identification. They were then asked to disperse. The protesters were told that failing to comply would result in violations of university rules and policies, and possible arrest. None chose to identify themselves and depart, university officials said.
In a blog post earlier in the afternoon, student demonstrators said they entered the library, dubbing it “Basel Al-Araj Popular University,” named for a Palestinian activist and writer.
“Repression breeds resistance,” the post said, “if Columbia escalates repression, the people will continue to escalate disruptions on this campus.”
In March, the Trump administration gave the university an ultimatum to adopt a set of policies to quell pro-Palestinian protests in order to receive federal funds. The policies included adopting rules around masks, protests and allowing law enforcement to arrest demonstrators.
Just over a year ago, hundreds of NYPD in riot gear entered the campus after a group of student demonstrators took over a building. More than 100 people were arrested, though prosecutors dropped charges for most.
Found on mainstream news.
