New York police arrested dozens of students at Columbia University on Wednesday after they took over part of the university’s main library during a major pro-Palestinian protest. The demonstration is believed to be one of the largest campus actions since last year’s wave of protests against Israel’s war in Gaza.
According to Reuters, at least 40 to 50 students were seen being loaded into NYPD vans and buses outside Butler Library.
The NYPD entered the campus at the request of Columbia University officials, who stated that the demonstrators had unlawfully entered the main reading room on the library’s second floor.
Videos and images shared on social media showed protesters standing on tables, beating drums, and displaying signs that read “Strike for Gaza” and “Liberated Zone” inside the Lawrence A. Wien reading room.
The protest follows a series of similar actions at U.S. universities in recent weeks, as student activists continue to demand that institutions cut financial ties with companies linked to the Israeli military or operations in the West Bank and Gaza.
