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On Wednesday evening, the New York Police Department (NYPD) forcibly entered Columbia University’s main library, Butler, to stop a pro-Palestinian protest that had escalated into a takeover of the building. The incident took place amid weeks of student demonstrations against Israeli actions in the Gaza Strip. This was reported by the BBC.
According to the university, two security guards were injured when activists broke into the premises, unfurling banners with inscriptions: Strike For Gaza and Liberated Zone. Most of them wore masks and scarves. Some of the participants were not affiliated with the university.
The president of the institution, Claire Shipman, called the protesters’ actions “outrageous” and called on the police to intervene. So far, more than 70 people have been detained, the student newspaper Columbia Spectator reports.
The authorities and Trump are against
New York Mayor Eric Adams said that “the city will not tolerate hatred or violence in any form”. Meanwhile, until recently, US President Donald Trump criticised Columbia for tolerating “anti-Semitic” protests and threatened to withhold $400 million in federal funding from the university.
In March, the university administration had already made concessions, agreeing to ban masks during protests and change the supervision of a number of academic programmes.
Freedom of speech vs. national security
The university was caught between two fires: on the one hand, pressure from the federal authorities, on the other, the demands of students and the protection of freedom of expression. Meanwhile, some of the professors have already filed a lawsuit against the administration over politically motivated restrictions.
