New York: Dozens of students were arrested at Columbia University on Wednesday after staging a major pro-Palestinian protest, one of the largest on campus since the protests against Israel’s Gaza war last year. The protestors seized part of the university’s Butler Library, occupying the second-floor main reading room and refusing to leave, prompting a large response from New York Police Department (NYPD) officers.
At least 40 to 50 students, their hands bound with plastic zip-ties, were seen being loaded into police vans and buses outside the library. Officers swept through the six-story building to remove other demonstrators who had also barricaded themselves inside. The protestors were chanting slogans, beating drums, and unfurling banners with messages like “Strike For Gaza” and “Liberated Zone,” capturing attention with their high-visibility actions inside the library.
The university’s officials had called in the NYPD, citing trespassing concerns, and demanded the protestors vacate the premises. While the protest was initially peaceful, it ended with multiple arrests as demonstrators were escorted out of the building. Social media images and videos from the scene showed masked students standing on tables in defiance, a powerful display of solidarity for Palestinian rights.
This protest comes after heightened tensions surrounding pro-Palestinian demonstrations on U.S. campuses. Last year, former President Donald Trump criticized similar protests at Columbia, calling them antisemitic and accusing the university of failing to protect Jewish students. In response, student protestors, including Jewish students, have argued that the protests are not antisemitic but rather a stance for Palestinian rights.
Columbia University has since been in negotiations with the Trump administration, following the latter’s decision to cancel significant scientific research grants to the school in March. The university insists it is committed to combating antisemitism and other forms of discrimination while preserving academic freedom.
Two of the university’s public safety officers were injured during the standoff, though no further details have been provided
