Columbia University has placed more than 65 students on interim suspension and barred 33 others, including alumni and students from affiliated schools like Barnard College, after a pro-Palestinian protest took place inside Butler Library earlier this week, a university spokesperson confirmed on Friday. According to Columbia’s website, interim suspension prohibits students from attending classes, accessing campus, or taking part in university events. The duration of these disciplinary actions remains unclear and will depend on the outcome of further investigations, reported news agency AP.The Ivy League university in Manhattan also confirmed that several alumni who participated in the protest are now barred from entering the campus.
Activity Sindoor
The actions follows Wednesday’s event where around 80 people were arrested after a veiled team forced their way into the library, draped Arab flags across bookshelves, and scrawled phrases such as “Columbia will eliminate ” on furniture and picture frames. Most face intruding fees, while some may even be charged with disorderly do, according to the police. Videos from the scene showed NYPD officers entering the library in riot gear after protesters occupied a second-floor reading room, renaming it the “Basel Al-Araj Popular University, ” after a Palestinian activist killed by Israeli forces in 2017. Demonstrators stood on tables with megaphones, distributed papers, and called for Columbia to withdraw from companies allegedly linked to Israel’s defense strategy. The show was broken up at the demand of Columbia leaders. Acting President Claire Shipman said individuals inside the collection were constantly asked to show identification and left, but refused. “These activities are outrageous, ” she said, adding that the job disrupted individuals preparing for final exams. “Requesting the presence of the NYPD is not the result we wanted, but it was absolutely necessary to secure the health of our society, ” she said in a statement quoted by The New York Times. Shipman even confirmed that two common health officers were injured as demonstrators surged into the tower. Activists alleged that some of them sustained injuries also, with one seen leaving on a bed, partially covered, reported The Guardian. New York City Mayor Eric Adams supported the officers answer, saying, “We does not tolerate violence. ” Governor Kathy Hochul echoed the mood, stating on X, “Violence, theft or destruction of property are totally unacceptable. ”US secretary of state Marco Rubio has announced a card evaluation for foreign students involved in the opposition. “Pro-Hamas criminals are no longer welcome in our great country, ” Rubio wrote on X. The Trump administration has previously pulled national funding and detained some foreign individuals over their participation in school demonstrations essential of Israel’s activities in Gaza. The protest was organised by Columbia University Apartheid Divest ( CUAD), which said it targeted the library to challenge the university’s alleged financial ties to “imperialist violence. ” In a speech, CUAD wrote, “Repression species resistance— if Columbia escalates persecution, the people will continue to rise problems on this school. ”This week’s protest mirrors last year’s occupation of Hamilton Hall and is part of a wider encampment movement across US campuses. Columbia has since tightened protest rules, banning masks and authorising more campus safety officers to make arrests, as per The Guardian. The university has pledged consequences for further disruptions, especially as final exams approach. “Disruptions to our academic activities will not be tolerated, ” said Shipman.
