Dozens of masked protesters occupied Columbia University’s historic Butler Library Wednesday, unfurling banners and staging one of the largest campus demonstrations since last year’s widespread protests, as university officials face both internal pressure for divestment and external threats from the Trump administration to permanently cancel hundreds of millions in federal research funding.
Approximately fifty pro-Palestinian protesters seized control of Columbia University’s main reading room Wednesday afternoon, standing on tables and hanging banners declaring “Strike For Gaza” and “Liberated Zone” from the ornate chandeliers of the Butler Library. The demonstration marked a significant escalation in campus tensions as the university continues negotiations with the Trump administration over hundreds of millions of dollars in scientific research grants canceled in March.
University security personnel quickly moved to contain the situation, requesting identification from participants and warning that failure to disperse would result in disciplinary action and “possible arrest.” When additional protesters attempted to enter the building, security staff locked the doors, leading to physical confrontations between demonstrators and guards. New York Mayor Eric Adams confirmed that Columbia officials had requested assistance and that NYPD officers were deploying to the campus in response to the occupation.
Columbia University Apartheid Divest, a coalition of student groups behind the protest, issued a statement reiterating their demands that the university divest its $14.8 billion endowment from weapons manufacturers and companies supporting Israel’s military presence in Palestinian territories. Protesters also called for the release of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist and Columbia graduate student currently detained in a Louisiana immigration facility after becoming one of the first international students targeted for deportation under the Trump administration’s new policy.
The confrontation comes amid heightened political tensions surrounding campus activism. President Trump has repeatedly characterized pro-Palestinian campus demonstrations as antisemitic and un-American, while student organizers, including many Jewish participants, argue the administration is deliberately conflating criticism of Israeli government policies with antisemitism. The Department of Homeland Security has also intensified efforts to identify and deport international students involved in pro-Palestinian activism, with officials claiming such activities could “harm U.S. foreign policy interests” – a policy that has drawn criticism from civil liberties organizations and academic freedom advocates.
(CP) NEW YORK – Reported by Sarah Mitchell.