Columbia protesters ARRESTED by NYPD

On May 7, 2025, New York City police arrested approximately 78 pro-Palestinian demonstrators who had occupied the main reading room of Butler Library at Columbia University. The protest was organized by the group Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), which is demanding that the university divest from companies supporting Israeli military actions in Gaza. Protesters renamed the space the “Basel Al-Araj People’s University” and displayed banners with slogans like “Strike For Gaza” and “Liberated Zone.”

Interim Columbia president Claire Shipman requested police intervention, citing security concerns due to the occupation. The NYPD responded swiftly and forcefully, leading to clashes with demonstrators. At least two protesters were injured and had to be carried out on stretchers.

This incident occurred amid growing pressure from the Trump administration, which recently cut $400 million in federal funding to Columbia and threatened federal oversight if the university fails to control such protests. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the demonstrators “pro-Hamas thugs” and announced a visa review process that could result in the deportation of international students.

The protest also called for the release of Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia alumnus and Palestinian activist detained by ICE in March.

This marks the fourth mass arrest at Columbia in the past 18 months and reflects the university’s shift toward a stricter stance on campus demonstrations—part of a broader national debate over academic freedom, antisemitism, and student rights.