Police responded to a request for assistance from Columbia University on Wednesday after a large group of pro-Palestinian protesters forced into campus libraries and declared it a “liberation zone.”
The New York Police Department has arrested 80 people, but no charges had been made as of early Thursday morning, the NYPD told Daily Signal.
“We hope they will face serious consequences for their illegal behavior,” Rn.Y. Rep. Elise Stefanik said of the protesters in a post from X.
According to Columbia, a significant number of people who took part in the library’s acquisition are believed to be “not affiliated with the university.”
“The anti-Israel movement has been moving violently in the streets since the October 7th massacre, and the campus is the epicenter,” Bill Jacobson, founder and publisher of Cornell Law School’s Law Rebellion, told Daily Signal.
“It’s not surprising that violent non-student groups are also flocking to campus. “It’s a logical magnet of the worst element in our society that has a long history of anti-Israel activities by Columbia, students, faculty and administrators. The Trump administration has said, “Why are you funding this?”
Related: Anti-Israel Protesters demolish our flags, burn them, raise the blocks out of Capitol with Palestinian flags
The Trump administration cut federal funds from Columbia University in March, citing an anti-Semitic incident as the reason.
Video of the incident shows a large, masked crowd surged past security guards into the Butler Library. Once inside, the group hangs signs and banners reading “liberation zone” and “free Mahmoud Khalil.” In March, the Trump administration arrested Halil, a former Columbia graduate student, green card holder and pro-Palestinian activist, and attempted to deport him.
Within the library, the group pounded the drums, shouted “Free Palestine” and called out “Global Intifadas.”
The protesters wrote graffiti inside the library, writing “Learn from Palestine,” “Cu u Will see,” and “Cu” at Columbia University.
Hours after the acquisition began, police escorted the protesters and held hands tied behind their backs from the library.
Related: “Death to America” ​​hymns manifest in large Muslim anti-Israel protests from Democrat Rashida Tribe
“The disruption in our academic activities is unacceptable and is a violation of our rules and policies,” Colombia said in a statement following the incident, saying, “This is especially unacceptable while students study and prepare for the final exam.”
“Columbia strongly condemns violence in our campus, anti-Semitism, all forms of hatred and discrimination, some of which we witnessed today,” the university said. “We don’t embrace our university about seeking violence or harm.”
Two Columbia Public Security Officers were injured during the protest, according to the university.
A large number of pro-Palestinian protests and camps broke out on the Columbia University campus last spring. Anti-Israel demonstrations on campus ultimately led to Minush Shafiq resigning from his position as university president.
Syndicated with permission from Daily traffic lights.
