Dozens Arrested After Pro-Palestinian Protesters Storm Columbia University's Butler Library

Library Occupation and Arrests

• 🎯 Dozens of protesters were taken into custody at Columbia University after storming Butler Library on Wednesday.
• 🚨 The university's acting president requested NYPD intervention after protesters, many with faces covered, vandalized property and refused to disperse.
• ⛓️ At least 76 protesters were arrested and led out in handcuffs after a three-hour occupation.

University Response and Security Changes

• 🏫 Columbia University announced suspending guest access and barring alumni from campus starting the next day.
• 🆔 Access to the Morningside campus will require IDs, and IDs will also be required to enter campus buildings.
• ⚠️ Campus safety officers responded to the incident, with at least two officers reported injured.

Protester Statements and Actions

• ✊ Protesters inside the library stated, "We refuse to show our IDs under militarized arrests. We refuse to go down quietly."
• 🗣️ Demonstrations also occurred on the outskirts of campus, with protesters clashing with police and pushing barricades.
• 📹 Cell phone video showed protesters storming the library entrance, shoving public safety officers, and heading upstairs.

Context and Affiliation

• 🎓 The university president suggested that a significant presence of the protesters were not affiliated with Columbia University.
• ⚖️ This protest occurred after the Trump administration cut federal funding to Columbia, citing a failure to protect Jewish students from harassment.
• 📚 The demonstrations unfolded as students were in the midst of final exams.