At least 2 injured in Columbia University protest, NYPD takes dozens into custody
New York City police officers took dozens of pro-Palestinian demonstrators into custody at Columbia University's Butler Library on Wednesday evening.
NYPD officers were seen removing about 76 protesters from the library in handcuffs, placing them in a van and taking them away. It is unclear how many are facing charges.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted on social media overnight, saying his office will be reviewing the visa status of any trespassers and vandals.
Columbia officials said two public safety officers were injured in an encounter with demonstrators. It's unknown at this time if there were any other injuries.
"Earlier today, a group of protesters occupied one of the main reading rooms in Butler library, refusing to leave, and another group breached the front door causing substantial chaos—all of this as the bulk of our students are working hard to prepare for exams," Acting Columbia University President Claire Shipman said in a video message Wednesday night. "These actions not only represented a violation of University policies, but they also posed a serious risk to our students and campus safety. We had no choice but to ask for the assistance of the NYPD, and I'm grateful for their help and professionalism, as well as that of our Public Safety team.
"Let me be clear, what happened today, what I witnessed, was utterly unacceptable," she continued.
In a statement, New York City Mayor Eric Adams also said the NYPD was asked by Columbia to remove trespassers.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a post on social media that she had been briefed on the situation and is "grateful to public safety officials for keeping students safe."
"Everyone has the right to peacefully protest. But violence, vandalism or destruction of property are completely unacceptable," she wrote.
According to Columbia's website, university IDs will be required to access buildings at the Morningside campus Thursday. Guests of students and non-faculty staff will not be granted access, and same-day alumni access is also suspended.
What happened at Columbia's Butler Library
The start of the incident was captured on video, which shows protesters storming the library Wednesday afternoon, occupying one of the building's rooms and vandalizing property.
"We saw that they were preparing for something. They came from different sides of campus, so it looked like they had definitely planned it before and orchestrated it before," student Franziska Sittig said.
A university spokesperson said the school's public safety team quickly responded. According to the university, protesters were asked to show their IDs and disperse. The university said protesters' identification "will be recorded."
By early evening, however, no protesters had chosen to identify themselves and leave, the university said. Protesters were told failure to comply may result in arrests, the school said, though other people who were in the library but not involved in the protest were allowed to leave.
A short time later, first responders were seen taking someone out of the library on a stretcher, and a fire alarm was heard going off in the building.
As a standoff ensued inside, a large crowd of protesters gathered outside the library, apparently trying to push their way into the building.
The university's acting president said two Columbia public safety officers were injured "during a crowd surge when individuals attempted to force their way into the building and into Room 301."
Demonstrations also grew at the outskirts of campus, where protesters clashed with a growing police presence, pushing barricades and shutting down the block.
A student group posted a message from who it called student actionists inside the library, reading in part, "Public Safety officers have choked and beaten us. But we have not wavered. We refuse to show our IDs under militarized arrest. We refuse to go down quietly."
Around 7 p.m., three hours after the occupation began, Shipman released a statement saying the university had requested 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, Columbia has taken the necessary step of requesting the presence of NYPD to assist in securing the building and the safety of our community," she wrote, in part.
She added, "Requesting the presence of the NYPD is not the outcome we wanted, but it was absolutely necessary to secure the safety of our community."
While the NYPD was seen removing dozens of people, it wasn't immediately clear how many of them had been formally arrested or are facing charges.
"A very small minority of students has once again managed to disrupt the entire campus," Sittig said.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Columbia University
The protests took place while the school is in a pre-final exams reading week.
"While this is isolated to one room in the library, it is completely unacceptable that some individuals are choosing to disrupt academic activities as our students are studying and preparing for final exams. These disruptions of our campus and academic activities will not be tolerated. Individuals found to be in violation of University Rules and policies will face disciplinary consequences. We ask our community members to please avoid the immediate area near Butler Library in the near term," a university spokesperson said, in part.
Student Eden Yadegar was studying for exams in the library when the protesters arrived and was stunned by their actions.
"All of a sudden, I was walking through the lobby, and a group of a few dozen, who I would assume are students, covered in masks and hoodies and whatnot, stormed through the entrance, kind of shoving some public safety officers, and ran upstairs into what's like the main reading room," she said. "They were hanging up banners all throughout the room, including one that pictured the state of Israel and said, 'There is only one state,' something like that, and overall just causing a disturbance."
A recent Columbia guideline states, "Individuals who engage in protests or demonstrations who wear face masks or face coverings must present their University identification when asked." The guideline was announced as part of the new policies enacted under the Trump administration's demands.
Columbia has been in the crosshairs of the Trump administration in the wake of last year's pro-Palestinian campus protests, threatening to withhold hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding if certain changes weren't implemented at the school. Two prominent student activists were also arrested by federal immigration authorities, Mahmoud Khalil and Mohsen Mahdawi.
Mayor Adams on Columbia protests
Mayor Eric Adams posted this statement on social media:
"At the written request of Columbia University, the NYPD is entering the campus to remove individuals who are trespassing.
"As I've said repeatedly, New York City will always defend the right to peaceful protest, but we will never tolerate lawlessness. To our Jewish New Yorkers, especially the students at Columbia who feel threatened or unsafe attending class because of these events: know that your mayor stands with you and will always work to keep you safe.
"To parents of students protesting: call your children and make clear that breaking the law is wrong and they should exit the building immediately. To those protesting on campus who do not attend Columbia: exit the campus immediately or you will be arrested. We will not tolerate hate or violence in any form in our city."
