NYPD arrests over 70 after masked protesters seize Columbia library

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By Nacha Cattan and Myles Miller

 

More than 70 people were arrested after masked protesters occupied Columbia University’s main library on Wednesday, according to a law enforcement official. 

Police entered Butler Library hours after protesters, many wearing face coverings and keffiyehs, took over part of the building and draped Palestinian flags along its walls. The number of arrests is likely to increase as police activity continues, said the official, who asked not to be identified speaking publicly about the situation.  

 

The action was organized by Columbia University Apartheid Divest, a coalition of pro-Palestinian student groups known as CUAD, which said on Substack that more than 100 people had “flooded” into the space and renamed it the Basel Al-Araj Popular University.

 

The incident renewed attention from the Trump administration, which in March cancelled $400 million in federal funding to Columbia after protesters stormed a building at affiliate Barnard College. Officials have accused Columbia of failing to protect Jewish students. 

 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday on X that protesters’ visa status are under review and that “Pro-Hamas thugs are no longer welcome in our great nation.”

 

The White House has also gone after Harvard, Princeton, Northwestern, Cornell and others, accusing them of an inadequate response to a surge in complaints of antisemitism after the Oct. 7 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel and the ensuing war. Hamas is deemed a terrorist organization by the US and EU.

 

In recent weeks the Trump administration revoked the visas of several international students who protested Israel, accusing them of supporting a terrorist organization. Mahmoud Khalil, a green card holder who led some of the protests at Columbia, is battling his detention in court.

International Students Go to Court as Trump Targets Colleges 

US Representative Elise Stefanik, a New York Republican who has demanded the resignation of college presidents for their handling of campus protests, applauded the arrests Wednesday.

 

“No student should feel unsafe on campus, and universities must hold these extremists accountable,” she posted on X.

 

The arrests are the most on Columbia’s campus since about a year ago, when police in riot gear cracked down on dozens of students that had barricaded themselves a day prior in Hamilton Hall. 

 

The protest was part of a wave of encampments that roiled universities at the time, with pro-Palestinian students calling for universities to cut ties to Israel as war in Gaza raged on. 

 

This year, there have been fewer demonstrations, and universities have been quicker to respond. 

 

Columbia University acting President Claire Shipman said the school requested NYPD assistance after protesters refused to leave the library. She cited the large number of people involved inside and outside the building — including many who are not part of the university — and growing safety concerns.

 

Two campus public safety officers were injured during a crowd surge, she said in a statement.

 

“These actions are outrageous,” said Shipman, who was appointed to the role in March after her predecessor Katrina Armstrong stepped down. “Columbia strongly condemns violence on our campus, antisemitism and all forms of hate and discrimination, some of which we witnessed today.”

 

The protesters, who interrupted students ahead of final exams, plastered stickers and drew on the walls and desks inside Butler, according to images posted on CUAD’s X account. 

 

Their demands include divestment and boycott from companies and institutions with ties to Israel, police and immigration officials off campus, and amnesty for students and faculty disciplined by Columbia. 

 

Mayor Eric Adams earlier warned on social media that anyone occupying the space with no ties to the school could face arrest.

 

“To parents of students protesting: call your children and make clear that breaking the law is wrong and they should exit the building immediately,” Adams posted on X. “To those protesting on campus who do not attend Columbia: exit the campus immediately or you will be arrested.” 

 

CUAD said on X that public safety officials assaulted dozens of protesters and the group called for students to assemble at Columbia’s entrance. Protesters unable to access campus gathered outside and then marched in the streets. 

Trump Scrutiny

Columbia is working to restore the funding by agreeing to several policy changes, including restricting masks used to conceal identities, but so far has been unable to persuade the administration to unfreeze the money.

 

Columbia said this week that it will eliminate 180 researchers impacted by funding cuts, which represents about 20 per cent of employees whose salaries or stipends were at least in part funded by now-terminated grants. The school said the financial strain of continuing to fund the individuals had become “intense.”

 

The latest incident at Columbia showed that President Donald Trump is right in blocking federal funding for colleges, Stefanik said Wednesday.   “Not a single taxpayer dollar should go to a university that allows chaos, antisemitism, and civil rights violations on its campus,” Stefanik wrote on X. “Columbia must act — enough is enough.”