Dozens of masked anti-Israel demonstrators were arrested after storming Butler Library at Columbia University in New York City during finals week, Fox News reported. More than 80 students were detained following the Wednesday afternoon incident when over 100 protesters pushed past campus security.
Anti-Israel, pro-Palestine protesters have taken over Columbia University's library. All of these people, if they are students, should be immediately expelled: pic.twitter.com/IsJuZi4JTQ
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) May 7, 2025
The protesters reportedly gathered in solidarity with Mahmoud Khalil, the organizer of previous pro-Palestinian demonstrations at the prestigious institution. Khalil, a Columbia graduate, was apprehended last month at his university-owned apartment when Homeland Security Investigations informed him they were revoking his immigration status before transferring him to a detention facility in Louisiana.
Images showed that protesters had renamed Butler Library as "Basel Al-Araj Popular University" and declared it a "liberation zone." Columbia students said demonstrators climbed on desks while chanting "Free Palestine" and demanding the university divest from Israel, with some expressing concerns about a potential encampment being established.
Watch this entitled brat vandalize the @Columbia library - without a single thought or care for the wage-earning custodians who will inevitably be called in to clean up this appalling damage. pic.twitter.com/wJgGTfbWpY
— Columbia Jewish Alumni Assoc. (@CU_JewishAlumni) May 7, 2025
Students not participating in the demonstration said that the protest disrupted their studies, forcing them to abandon their finals preparation and exit the library. Amid the developing situation, the State Department issued a stern warning to international students about legal consequences.
"Foreign university students in America have been put on notice: if you break the law or support terrorism in our country, we will revoke your visa. This administration will not tolerate noncitizens causing mayhem on our college campuses," the statement read. Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared that his department was "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."
Protesters attempting to stampede public safety to avoid being identified as they leave pic.twitter.com/4yiYXbvGk2
— Columbia Jewish & Israeli Students ✡️🇮🇱 (@CUJewsIsraelis) May 7, 2025
Campus security reportedly prevented people from entering or leaving without showing identification. "Nobody comes in, nobody comes out," Columbia University security personnel stated at a campus entry point. Around 7:00 p.m., the protesters announced on social media that they refused to present identification and "come quietly."
Acting President Claire Shipman released a statement Wednesday explaining that the university requested assistance from the New York Police Department. "Sadly, during the course of this disruption, two of our Columbia Public Safety Officers sustained injuries during a crowd surge when individuals attempted to force their way into the building and into Room 301," Shipman declared. "These actions are outrageous."
The statement continued: "Individuals participating in the Reading Room 301 disruption were repeatedly asked for identification and to leave, and were repeatedly told that failure to comply would result in violations of our rules and policies and possible arrest for trespassing. We have been clear from the outset about applying our protocols and advising participants of the potential consequences of not complying. Requesting the presence of the NYPD is not the outcome we wanted, but it was absolutely necessary to secure the safety of our community."
New York Mayor Eric Adams expressed solidarity with Jewish students at Columbia and urged parents of protesters to "make clear that breaking the law is wrong and they should exit the building immediately." The mayor warned: "To those protesting on campus who do not attend Columbia: exit the campus immediately or you will be arrested," adding, "We will not tolerate hate or violence in any form in our city.
Columbia had issued warnings last month against establishing encampments similar to those from previous protests, which had resulted in students occupying Hamilton Hall and confrontations with riot police. Those events led to over 200 arrests as students demonstrated against Israel's military operations in Gaza following Hamas' deadly October 7, 2023, attacks that killed more than 1,200 people.
Former Columbia University President Minouche Shafik had resigned following criticism of her handling of campus protests and incidents of antisemitism. The university has faced intense scrutiny over rising antisemitism, with President Trump canceling $400 million in federal grants to the institution in March.
This prompted Columbia to yield to certain demands in hopes of restoring funding. Wednesday's protests coincided with the university's announcement that approximately 180 staff members might lose their jobs following the Trump administration's withdrawal of federal grants due to the school's "failure to protect Jewish students from antisemitic harassment."
"Across the research portfolio, we have had to make difficult choices and, unfortunately, today, nearly 180 of our colleagues who have been working, in whole or in part, on impacted federal grants, will receive notices of non-renewal or termination," Shipman stated. "This represents about 20% of the individuals who are funded in some manner by the terminated grant."
US Representative Lisa McClain, chair of the House GOP, criticized calls for investigations into universities experiencing anti-Israel protests. "We don't need to do an investigation. We know what the problem is," she declared. "They have laws, and they don't follow them. Columbia is a prime example of what happens when there are no consequences to one's actions."
Representative Elise Stefanik praised Trump's decision to withhold funding amid rising antisemitism at the university. "While Columbia students try to study for finals, they're being bombarded with chants for a 'global intifada,'" she wrote on X. "President Donald Trump is right: not a single taxpayer dollar should go to a university that allows chaos, antisemitism, and civil rights violations on its campus. Columbia must act – enough is enough."
