Dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters stormed a library at Columbia University and refused to leave for hours, school officials said, staying put until the NYPD was called to remove the demonstrators.
The protest at Butler Library began around 4 p.m. and was isolated to a reading room in the library, according to the university. About 60-100 protesters entered the building at that time, many of whom were wearing facemasks. Charges were pending against about 80 of them by Thursday morning.
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WATCH HEREProtesters and other banners on bookshelves in an ornate reading room. Some protesters also appeared to have scrawled “Columbia will burn” .
Columbia's Public Safety Team asked those in the library for identification and to disperse, saying protesters who fail to comply would face violations of campus rules and possible arrest, according to a university spokesperson. None of the protesters chose to leave at that time.
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SIGN UP "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," the university spokesperson said.
Earlier in the afternoon, the group that organized the protest said it had occupied part of Butler Library because it believed the university profited from “imperialist violence.”
"Repression breeds resistance — if Columbia escalates repression, the people will continue to escalate disruptions on this campus," the Columbia University Apartheid Divest group .
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As campus officials focused on getting the protesters inside to leave, there was a contingent of protesters loudly chanting outside the library's doors as well. Columbia University's Acting President Claire Shipman said two public safety officers were injured when a crowd surged to force their way into the building.
Some of the demonstrators did leave on their own, but by 7 p.m., there was still an unknown number still inside. It was at that point that Shipman said the school requested NYPD to assist in securing the building.
"Requesting the presence of the NYPD is not the outcome we wanted, but it was absolutely necessary to secure the safety of our community," said Shipman.
A short time later, NYPD officers in helmets could be seen entering the library and taking a number of individuals out in with their hands in zipties. It was not immediately clear how many protesters were taken into custody or would face charges, but more than 70 were led out by police.
"Columbia strongly condemns violence on our campus, antisemitism and all forms of hate and discrimination, some of which we witnessed today. We are resolute that calls for violence or harm have no place at our University," the statement from Shipman read.
Mayor Eric Adams told 온라인카지노사이트 New York the behavior of the protesters in the library was "unacceptable."
"I want to say to parents, if you're children is on the Columbia campus and participating in this, I think you should reach out to them," Adams said on News 4. "This is not what you do on a college campus, particularly going inside a library and protesting in this manner. We are engaged with the college, they have asked for our help and the NYPD is en route."
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul also denounced the protesters. “Everyone has the right to peacefully protest,” the Democrat . “But violence, vandalism or destruction of property are completely unacceptable.”
Columbia said it would be restricting on-campus access on Thursday, with guest access suspended for students and non-faculty staff. Alumni access is also suspended.
In March, the school announced sweeping policy changes related to protests following Trump administration threats to revoke its federal funding.
Among them are a ban on students wearing masks to conceal their identities and a rule that those protesting on campus must present their identification when asked. The school also said it had hired new public safety officers empowered to make arrests on campus.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
