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. The action follows Wednesday’s incident where around 80 people were arrested after a masked group forced their way into the library, draped Palestinian flags across bookshelves, and scrawled slogans such as “Columbia will burn” on furniture and picture frames. Most face trespassing charges, while some may also be charged with disorderly conduct, 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. Protesters stood on desks with megaphones, distributed pamphlets, and called for Columbia to divest from firms allegedly linked to Israel’s military campaign.The demonstration was broken up at the request of Columbia officials. Acting President Claire Shipman said students inside the library were repeatedly asked to show identification and leave, but refused. “These actions are outrageous,” she said, adding that the occupation disrupted students preparing for final exams. “Requesting the presence of the NYPD is not the outcome we wanted, but it was absolutely necessary to secure the safety of our community,” she said in a statement quoted by The New York Times.Shipman also confirmed that two public safety officers were injured as protesters surged into the building. Protesters alleged that some of them sustained injuries too, with one seen leaving on a stretcher, partially covered, reported The Guardian.New York City Mayor Eric Adams supported the police response, saying, “We will never tolerate lawlessness.” Governor Kathy Hochul echoed the sentiment, stating on X, “Violence, vandalism or destruction of property are completely unacceptable.”US secretary of state Marco Rubio has announced a visa review for international students involved in the protest. “Pro-Hamas thugs are no longer welcome in our great nation,” Rubio wrote on X. The Trump administration has already pulled federal funding and detained some international students over their participation in campus demonstrations critical of Israel’s actions 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 statement, CUAD wrote, “Repression breeds resistance — if Columbia escalates repression, the people will continue to escalate disruptions on this campus.”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.
