2025 Columbia University Butler Library Protest and Occupation

On May 7, 2025, a pro-Palestinian protest occurred at Columbia University's Butler Library in New York City. The activity was organized by the student coalition Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD). The protesters occupied the library's main reading room. They called for the university to divest all economic and academic stakes and ties in Israel. The event led to the arrest of approximately 80 individuals by the New York Police Department (NYPD), following a request from university officials due to trespassing and safety concerns.

Background

CUAD, comprising approximately 100 student organizations, was formed in 2016 in Columbia University, and reactivated in November 2023 after the university suspended chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace. CUAD's mission is to get the university to divest from companies linked to Israel and to end collaborations with Israeli institutions. Previous protests by CUAD included sit-ins and encampments on campus, reflecting ongoing tensions related to the Israel–Gaza conflict.

The Protest

On the afternoon of May 7, 2025, pro-Palestinian protesters entered and took over Room 301, the main reading room at Butler Library. They renamed it the "Bassel Al-Araj Popular University", after the Palestinian militant and writer Bassel al-Araj. CUAD, which organized the protest and occupation, stated that it chose Butler Library to rebuke the building's namesake—Nicholas Murray Butler, a former university president whom the group called "a shameless Nazi sympathizer."

The protesters displayed banners with slogans such as "Strike For Gaza" and "Liberated Zone," banged drums, shouted into megaphones and chanted "free, free, free, Palestine" in support of Palestinian liberation, as they marched throughout the building. Some participants wore masks and keffiyehs. The protest disrupted hundreds of students who were in the reading room preparing for final exams. 900 students were forced out and two campus public safety officers were injured in the chaos, according to the school’s acting president, Claire Shipman. Those involved in the protest also appeared to have vandalized structures in the library. Photos posted by CUAD appeared to show messages, including "free Gaza" and "we will always come back for Palestine," scribbled in marker on tables and glass cases.

University officials reported that some protesters refused to show identification and leave the premises, prompting concerns over safety and violations of university policies. Shipman stated that the actions posed a serious risk to students and campus safety.

Police Intervention and Arrests

Columbia Public Safety security guards blocked the reading room exit and required the protesters to show their university identification or face arrest for trespassing, creating a standoff. At around 7 PM, acting president Claire Shipman summoned the NYPD to remove the protesters, of whom police in riot gear arrested 78. Some of the protesters were led away in zip-tie handcuffs. This was the 4th mass arrest at Columbia University in 18 months and the largest since April 2024, when the NYPD arrested 109 protesters in its sweep of the "Hind's Hall" occupation of Hamilton Hall and the second Gaza Solidarity Encampment. Shipman praised the NYPD and Public Safety for what she called their "professionalism". The arrested protesters faced charges related to trespassing and disorderly conduct.

Following the incident, the university has suspended over 65 students and barred 33 others, including those from affiliated institutions such as Barnard College, from entering the campus.

Reactions

The protest and subsequent arrests garnered national attention. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a review of the visa status of foreign students involved in the demonstration, referring to them as "pro-Hamas thugs." The Trump administration praised Columbia University's response for meeting the moment “with fortitude and conviction”, highlighting the enforcement of campus policies amid federal scrutiny over the university's handling of antisemitism allegations.

Civil liberties organizations expressed concern over potential infringements on free speech and the right to protest. A letter from the executive committee of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) at Columbia stated the "erosion of shared governance" as it denounced the decision made by the university to call the NYPD for assistance.

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