Columbia protests: Dozens detained after New York police called in over library takeover
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The Trump administration has been cracking down on the university after what the White House has called a failure to protect its Jewish students.
What we know about the protest
- Protesters chanting pro-Palestinian slogans took over a room of a Columbia University library this evening.
- The demonstrations, which were also happening in other areas of the campus, are a repeat of protests at the school that set off a nationwide movement on college campuses last year as students demanded an end to the Israel-Gaza war.
- Columbia and other prominent universities have come under scrutiny and had their funding cut by the Trump administration, which has accused them of not having done enough to quell last year's protests and to combat antisemitism.
NYPD confirms arrests of 'multiple individuals who did not comply'
The NYPD says people arrested at Butler Library did not comply with orders before they were taken into custody.
Police have not said how many people were arrested. A department spokesperson said people were trespassing when officers made the arrests.
"Multiple individuals who did not comply with verbal warning by the NYPD to disperse were taken into custody," the spokesperson said.
Man accused of assaulting Jewish people at last year's protests was arrested today on hate crime charges, DOJ says
The Justice Department today announced that a 20-year-old man was indicted on federal hate crime charges stemming from assaults on Jewish people at protests, including near Columbia University last year.
Tarek Bazrouk, 20, of New York City, was arrested this morning after an indictment charging him with hate crime counts was unsealed, the Justice Department said.
The three attacks occurred at protests about Israel and the war in Gaza in 2024 and 2025, prosecutors said.
Bazrouk is accused of stealing the Israeli flag draped around the shoulders of someone in a group singing Jewish songs in an incident next to Columbia’s campus on Dec. 9.
When the group went to get the flag back, Bazrouk punched one of them, a Columbia student, in the face, prosecutors alleged.
Nothing in court documents alleges that Bazrouk is a Columbia student.
The other assaults are alleged to have occurred near Wall Street and in the Gramercy Park section of the city, according to court documents.
Online federal court records did not list an attorney for Bazrouk tonight.
The government is seeking to have him detained without bond, according to court records.
Police detain at least 78 people at library
We apologize, this video has expired.
Police have ushered at least 78 people out of the Columbia library.
They were flanked by police with their hands behind their backs in zip ties.
The tension wasn’t contained to the library, as it spilled outside to other areas of campus.
Physical clashes broke out between demonstrators and officers and campus security. They were involved in a back-and-forth pushing of barricades.
The university said two campus officers were injured.
Dozens of students push up against NYPD barricades
A video shared with NBC News shows dozens of Columbia students pushing up against NYPD barricades just outside the university’s campus at 114th Street and Amsterdam Avenue.
While there have been some small protests at the Ivy League school this year, there has been nothing of this scale since spring 2024.
New York Mayor Adams: City ‘will never tolerate lawlessness’
New York Mayor Eric Adamas said he stands with Jewish students at Columbia University who feel threatened or unsafe after protesters took over Butler Library.
“As I’ve said repeatedly, New York City will always defend the right to peaceful protest, but we will never tolerate lawlessness,” Adams said on X in announcing that the NYPD was responding.
Protesters were later seen being taken out of the building in plastic wrist restraints.
Tension on campus has been brewing for weeks
The atmosphere at Columbia has been growing more tense for weeks.
The unease began March 7, when the Trump administration announced that it would cancel about $400 million in federal grants, citing "persistent harassment of Jewish students" at the university.
A day later, the situation was inflamed when federal immigration authorities apprehended international graduate student Mahmoud Khalil. Khalil helped organize last year's pro-Palestinian student demonstrations and was a key negotiator between the university administration and the student body.
Later that month, Columbia agreed to ban students from wearing masks at protests in most cases, hired 36 new campus security officers — who, unlike previous security officers, have the ability to arrest students — and appointed a new senior vice provost to oversee the department of Middle East, South Asian and African studies.
Students and professors have told NBC News that the events in recent weeks have created an environment of fear, quelling dissent.
Columbia president says disruption ‘especially unacceptable’ considering finals
Columbia University acting President Claire Shipman said that calling the NYPD to campus was "not the outcome we wanted, but it was absolutely necessary to secure the safety of our community."
She called the occupation of part of Butler Library by pro-Palestinian demonstrators unacceptable and said students are preparing for final exams.
"Disruptions to our academic activities will not be tolerated and are violations of our rules and policies; this is especially unacceptable while our students study and prepare for final exams," she said in a statement.
"Columbia strongly condemns violence on our campus, antisemitism and all forms of hate and discrimination, some of which we witnessed today," she said.
NYPD detains protesters at Columbia library
New York police officers were seen leading protesters out of Butler Library after the police department said it was responding to the demonstration.
A person is detained outside Columbia University's Butler Library after pro-Palestinian protesters occupied the space in New York City on Wednesday. Spencer Platt / Getty Images
A person is detained outside Butler Library. Spencer Platt / Getty Images
Video showed police officers leading people out of the building with plastic hand restraints as demonstrators outside chanted slogans, including “Free Palestine.”
Columbia requests NYPD presence amid protest at Butler Library
Columbia University has asked for “the presence of NYPD to assist in securing the building and the safety of our community” amid a protest and the occupation of Butler Library, the university’s interim president said.
“The individuals who disrupted activities in Butler Reading Room 301 still refuse to identify themselves and leave the building,” acting President Claire Shipman said in an update.
A large crowd is also outside trying to force their way in, she said.
Two Columbia public safety officers were injured in a “crowd surge” when people tried to force their way into the building and into Reading Room 301, Shipman said.
“These actions are outrageous,” she said.
A "significant presence" of the participants are believed to be unaffiliated with the university, she said.
Protesters flood the main library days ahead of finals
School officials say they are dealing with a disruption at Butler Library. Just days ahead of finals, demonstrations flooded the main library. The school says protesters who would not provide identification and disperse could face arrest.
Pro-Palestinian protesters take over room in Columbia University library
Student protesters took over a room of Columbia University’s Butler Library this afternoon in a resurgence of the on-campus protests against the institution’s ties to Israel that rocked the nation last spring and inspired similar protests and encampments at colleges and universities nationwide.
Around 3:30 p.m., Columbia University Apartheid Divest, a group that calls on the university to divest its ties from Israel, publicized an “EMERGENCY RALLY: ALL OUT TO BUTLER LIBRARY” on social media.
The group said more than “100 actionists have reclaimed the main reading room as the Basil-Al-Araj Popular University.” The post called on others to “support, bring noise, and wear a mask.”
