NEW YORK – Columbia University has suspended more than 65 students following a bold pro-Palestinian protest that erupted inside the historic Butler Library on Wednesday, university officials confirmed on Friday. The crackdown comes amid growing tensions across U.S. campuses over the ongoing war in Gaza, which has now claimed over 52,800 Palestinian lives, mostly women and children.
The university said the students were placed under “interim suspension” pending an investigation into their involvement in what it described as a disruptive and policy-violating protest. New York police arrested at least 80 demonstrators during the protest, while 33 individuals from affiliated schools and participating alumni have been banned from Columbia’s Morningside Heights campus.
Eyewitness accounts and viral videos captured tense scenes inside Butler Library, where demonstrators—many wearing keffiyehs—entered peacefully before facing aggressive confrontations from security forces. Protesters reportedly occupied sections of the library, chanting in solidarity with Gaza and condemning U.S. support for Israel.
The protest is part of a wider wave of student-led demonstrations sweeping across American universities, calling for an end to what activists call a genocidal war in Gaza waged by Israel and supported by Washington since October 2023.
In response to the protest, Columbia’s Acting President Claire Shipman reiterated the university’s stance, claiming the school “rejects anti-Semitism and all other forms of harassment.” Critics, however, argue that the administration is using allegations of anti-Semitism as a smokescreen to silence legitimate dissent and anti-war activism.
Student groups say they will continue to speak out, vowing to resist what they call Columbia’s complicity and censorship. Tensions remain high as faculty and alumni debate the limits of free speech and the university’s moral obligations in the face of global injustice.
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