Columbia Suspends 65 Students After NYPD Arrests 78 in Butler Library Protest

More than 100 masked pro-Palestinian demonstrators forced their way into Columbia University’s Butler Library on Wednesday, halting study sessions during final exams as they banged drums and unfurled banners calling for the school to divest from Israel. Columbia said two campus public-safety officers were injured when protesters breached the building. The university requested help from the New York Police Department, which entered the six-story facility and arrested 78 people after several hours. The NYPD later said 61 of those detained were women. Acting President of Columbia condemned the takeover as “utterly unacceptable” and strengthened access restrictions across the Manhattan campus. In the immediate aftermath, the university imposed interim suspensions on 65 students and prohibited 33 alumni and other unaffiliated individuals from returning pending disciplinary reviews. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the State Department is examining the visa status of any foreign nationals involved, warning that non-citizen “trespassers and vandals” could face removal from the country. The incident capped a week of campus unrest nationwide. The University of Washington suspended 21 students who had been arrested during a pro-Palestinian sit-in earlier in the week, while NYPD officers detained seven people after clearing an encampment at Brooklyn College on Thursday.