Columbia University has once again found itself at the epicenter of pro-Palestinian campus protests after an attempted takeover of its main library by demonstrators on Wednesday.
New York police stepped in, arresting multiple people in relation to the protests, and officials including the mayor and governor, as well as members of the Trump Administration, have addressed the situation that continues to unfold.
Here’s what to know.
How did the protest begin?
The protests, which erupted days before exams, began at roughly around 3:15 p.m. on May 7, student newspaper the Columbia Daily Spectator reported.
Some 100 protesters entered Butler Library’s Reading Room 301 and hung a “Liberated Zone” banner that resembled banners posted during the pro-Palestinian university encampments last year. Videos on social media showed the occupants, many of whom were wearing keffiyehs and masks, chanting “Free Palestine.” Photos also appear to show that protesters scribbled messages on desks.
A Substack post that appeared to be from Columbia University Apartheid Divest, a coalition of student groups supporting the Palestinian cause, said the protesters “renamed” the library the “Basel Al-Araj Popular University” after a Palestinian activist and writer who died in 2017.
“The flood shows that as long as Columbia funds and profits from imperialist violence, the people will continue to disrupt Columbia’s profits and legitimacy,” the Substack post added, also reiterating calls for the University to divest from companies with business links to Israel.
How have university authorities responded?
The university issued a statement shortly after the protest broke out, saying that Columbia’s Public Safety Team was responding to the “disruption.” Individuals were asked to identify themselves and warned that failing to comply could possibly result in arrests.
Video on social media shows protesters attempting to leave the room.
Acting President Claire Shipman said in a follow-up statement that the university requested New York police presence to secure the Butler Library following the “disruption” in Reading Room 301. Shipman said two of Columbia’s Public Safety Officers were injured in the standoff with protesters. “These actions are outrageous,” she said.
Shipman said they sought the NYPD’s help “due to the number of individuals participating in the disruption inside and outside of the building, a large group of people attempting to force their way into Butler Library creating a safety hazard, and what we believe to be the significant presence of individuals not affiliated with the University.”
How did law enforcement respond?
The NYPD did not become involved until hours later. “At the direct request of Columbia University, the NYPD is responding to an ongoing situation on campus where individuals have occupied a library and are trespassing,” the NYPD posted on X shortly after 7 p.m.
The Columbia Daily Spectator reported that at around that time, NYPD officers—including members of the Strategic Response Group, entered the library. A video posted by Columbia University Apartheid Divest showed protesters chanting, “We have nothing to lose but our chains.”
Videos on social media showed NYPD escorting protesters out of the library. Some 75 people were arrested, according to the Columbia Daily Spectator, though the NYPD did not confirm the total number of arrests.
What have officials said?
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement: “New York City will always defend the right to peaceful protest, but we will never tolerate lawlessness.” The mayor also asked parents of student protesters to make clear to their children “that breaking the law is wrong.”
Adams warned those attending the demonstrations who are not Columbia students to “exit the campus immediately, or you will be arrested. We will not tolerate hate or violence in any form in our city.”
New York Governor Kathy Hochul also posted on X, saying she had been briefed on the situation at Columbia, adding: “Everyone has the right to peacefully protest. But violence, vandalism or destruction of property are completely unacceptable.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted on X: “We are reviewing the visa status of the trespassers and vandals who took over Columbia University’s library. Pro-Hamas thugs are no longer welcome in our great nation.” The Trump Administration in recent months has pursued deportation cases against a number of participants in pro-Palestinian protests last year, including recent Columbia graduate Mahmoud Khalil.
What is Columbia University’s history with student protests?
Columbia was at the heart of pro-Palestinian protests across U.S. college campuses last year, beginning with the first major pro-Palestinian campus encampment on April 17, 2024, on its Morningside campus. Protesters then barricaded the University’s Hamilton Hall, and called for it to be named “Hind’s Hall” after a child who was killed during Israel’s military offensive in Gaza.
Historically, Columbia was the site of famous 1968 anti-Vietnam war and civil rights protests. Like in 2024, students also took over Hamilton Hall, and New York police also intervened. The 1968 protests have been the subject of archives and exhibits in recognition of how they shaped campus activism and national politics in the U.S.
How has the Trump Administration and the university cracked down on protests?
The university has taken a number of steps to try to prevent similar incidents from happening—after pressure from the Trump Administration.
In March, Columbia said it issued a broad range of sanctions on students who took part in the 2024 protests, including “multi-year suspensions, temporary degree revocations, and expulsions.”
The same month, Columbia announced a series of counter-protest measures, including recruiting special officers authorized to make arrests, imposing restrictions on protests, limiting face mask use, and adopting a formal definition of antisemitism that holds students accountable for a broad range of acts deemed discriminatory to Israel.
The measures came after the Trump Administration announced the cancellation of some $400 million in federal grants and contracts to Columbia. Many of the university’s new policies have been seen by some critics as kowtowing to the Trump Administration.
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