In a opposition that rekindled tensions over the Gaza battle on US schools, over 50 pro-Palestinian protesters were detained on Wednesday night after occupying a reading room at Columbia University’s Butler Library. Around 3o’clock ( local time ), masked protesters, many of whom were wearing keffiyehs, stormed into Butler Library’s second-floor reading room. Students chanted” We have nothing to gain but our stores” in movies that were shared online! while renaming the place the” Basel Al-Araj Popular University” and calling it a “liberated area” Protesters drew banners with the slogan” Strike for Gaza,” hung banners on tables with megaphones, and distributed papers urging Columbia to divest from businesses that supposedly profit from Israel’s military campaign. According to the New York Post, some demonstrators allegedly burned library tables and walls, while a sign apparently read,” Columbia Will Burn,” was installed inside the university. Officials initially set up campus security, advising students that if they didn’t depart, they could face disciplinary actions and arrest. However, the conflict grew when protesters refused to show identification and described being “kettled” in. The NYPD’s action was therefore requested by Acting Columbia President Claire Shipman. In a statement cited by The New York Times, Shipman said,” Requesting the presence of the NYPD is not the result we wanted, but it was absolutely necessary to ensure the safety of our community.” Two people protection officers were hurt in a group wave, according to the university. One witness reported having an ice pack on their shoulder while leaving on a bed and partially covered. Around 7 p.m. ( local time ), the NYPD reportedly entered the library and made 75 arrests, according to The Guardian. Protesters were escorted out of zip-ties and loaded into waiting cars on video images. The library was closed and the area “must be cleared,” according to a message sent to students at 6 pm ( local time ) and was later described by NBC as saying that the NYPD acted on a written request from the university. In a later statement, he said,” We will never tolerate lawlessness,” adding that those who don’t support Columbia should step down or be subject to arrest. Kathy Hochul, the governor, added that everyone has the right to calmly rally. However, vandalism, destruction of property, and other forms of violence are totally unacceptable,” said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who stated in a statement that the protesters were “pro-Hamas thugs” and that the visa status of international students would be reviewed. Israeli student organizations also expressed disapproval of the opposition, with one group claiming that it was unacceptable for fully-masked strangers to enter learning facilities. According to The New York Times, officials are now negotiating to get that cash back. The university announced on Tuesday the layoffs of nearly 180 employees, primarily due to the reductions in study grants. Similar to last weekend’s occupation of Hamilton Hall and a wider encampment motion on US campuses, the Butler Library protest was echoed by the protest. Since then, Columbia has increased surveillance, authorized 36 college security officers to make arrests, and banned veils during presentations. According to The Guardian, Columbia’s leadership has undergone a number of changes as a result of backlash over the administration’s alleged compliance with federal requirements, which critics claim threaten intellectual freedom. The organization behind Wednesday’s action, Columbia University Apartheid Divest ( CUAD), has received criticism for supporting armed resistance. In its most recent statement, the organization asked students to “promote the noble Israeli armed resistance’s successes in weakening Israel and US imperialism.” Problems to our educational endeavors will not be tolerated, declared Shipman. This is especially undesirable as our students research and study for final exams.
