Pro-Palestinian Demonstrators Clash with Security Guards at Columbia University
Videos shared on social media show a long line of NYPD officers entering the library hours after dozens of protesters pushed their way past campus security officers, raced into the building and then hung Palestinian flags and other banners on bookshelves in an ornate reading room. Some protesters also appear to have scrawled 'Columbia will burn' across framed pictures.
Other videos show campus security officers barring another group of protesters from entering the library, with both sides shoving to try and force the other group aside.
Police said at least 80 people had been taken into custody, though it wasn't clear how many came from the demonstration inside the library and how many were outside the building.
Videos shared by a reporter on the scene show more than 30 people being taken away from the library by officers with their hands tied behind their backs. Protesters and other supporters, meanwhile, gather around the metal barriers set up outside the building by police cheering on the detained demonstrators and chanting 'Free Palestine.'
The university's acting president, Claire Shipman, said the protesters who had holed up inside a library reading room were asked repeatedly to show identification and to leave, but they refused. The school then requested the NYPD come in 'to assist in securing the building and the safety of our community,' she said in a statement Wednesday evening.
Shipman said two university public safety officers sustained injuries as protesters forced their way into the building.
'These actions are outrageous,' she said, adding that the disruption came as students were studying and preparing for final exams.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, subsequently said officers were entering the campus 'to remove individuals who are trespassing.'
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul also denounced the protesters.
'Everyone has the right to peacefully protest,' the Democrat wrote on X. 'But violence, vandalism or destruction of property are completely unacceptable.'
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X that they are examining visa status for 'trespassers and vandals' who took over the library.
'Pro-Hamas thugs are no longer welcome in our great nation,' he wrote.
The Trump administration has cracked down on international students and scholars at several American universities who had participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations or criticized Israel over its military action in Gaza. Columbia University scholar Mahmoud Khalil, for example, is a legal US resident with no criminal record who was detained in March over his participation in pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
Wednesday's demonstration and the effort to break it up came the same evening that the US Justice Department announced it had brought hate-crime charges against a man who had been repeatedly arrested at pro-Palestinian demonstrations over the past year, including one held near Columbia. An indictment charged Tarek Bazrouk, 20, with assaulting Jewish people at the demonstrations.
Columbia University in March announced sweeping policy changes related to protests following Trump administration threats to revoke its federal funding.
Among them are a ban on students wearing masks to conceal their identities and a rule that those protesting on campus must present their identification when asked. The school also said it had hired new public safety officers empowered to make arrests on campus.
Columbia University Apartheid Divest, a pro-Palestinian student group, said it had occupied part of Butler Library because it believed the university profited from 'imperialist violence.'
'Repression breeds resistance — if Columbia escalates repression, the people will continue to escalate disruptions on this campus," the group wrote online.
The federal charges against Bazrouk say he kicked a person in the stomach at a protest near the New York Stock Exchange, stole an Israeli flag and punched someone in the face at a demonstration near Columbia, and punched someone wearing an Israeli flag at another Manhattan protest in January.
Bazrouk's lawyer, Andrew Dalack, said his attorneys 'look forward to zealously defending' him.
A magistrate judge said Wednesday that Bazrouk could be released on bail, but that ruling is being challenged by prosecutors. A hearing is scheduled before a federal judge on Tuesday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
2 hours ago
- Arab News
Trump signs ‘big, beautiful' bill on US Independence Day
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump signed his flagship tax and spending bill into law Friday, capping a pomp-laden White House Independence Day ceremony featuring a stealth bomber fly-by. 'America is winning, winning, winning like never before,' Trump said at the event where he signed the so-called 'One Big Beautiful Bill' flanked by Republican lawmakers. The party fell into line and pushed the bill through a reluctant Congress on Thursday, in time for Trump to sign the bill as he had hoped on the Fourth of July holiday marking America's 249th birthday. Two B-2 bombers of the type that recently struck Iranian nuclear sites roared over the White House at the start of the ceremony, accompanied by fighter jets on their wingtips. Pilots who carried out the bombing on Iran were among those invited to the White House event. The passage of the unpopular bill caps two weeks of significant wins for Trump, including an Iran-Israel ceasefire that was sealed after what he called the 'flawless' US air strikes on Iran. Ever the showman, Trump melded his various victory laps into one piece of political theater at the ceremony marking 249 years of independence from Britain. The sprawling mega-bill honors many of Trump's campaign promises: extending tax cuts from his first term, boosting military spending and providing massive new funding for Trump's migrant deportation drive. Trump glossed over deep concerns from his own party and voters that it will balloon the national debt, while simultaneously gutting health and welfare support. 'The largest spending cut,' Trump said with First Lady Melania Trump at his side, 'and yet you won't even notice it.' Trump forced through the 'big beautiful bill' despite deep misgivings in the Republican Party — and the vocal opposition of his billionaire former ally, Elon Musk. It squeezed past a final vote in the House of Representatives 218-214 after Republican Speaker Mike Johnson worked through the night to corral the final group of dissenters. Trump thanked Johnson at the White House event. The legislation is the latest in a series of big wins for Trump that also included a Supreme Court ruling last week that curbed lone federal judges from blocking his policies, and a NATO deal to increase spending. But the bill is expected to pile an extra $3.4 trillion over a decade onto the US deficit. At the same time it will shrink the federal food assistance program and force through the largest cuts to the Medicaid health insurance scheme for low-income Americans since its 1960s launch. Up to 17 million people could lose their insurance coverage under the bill, according to some estimates. Scores of rural hospitals are expected to close as a result. Democrats hope public opposition to the bill will help them flip the House in the 2026 midterm election, pointing to data showing that it represents a huge redistribution of wealth from the poorest Americans to the richest.
Arab News
5 hours ago
- Arab News
Pentagon has undermined Trump's goal of Ukraine peace
The US Department of Defense halted deliveries of Patriot air defense systems and other precision weapons to Ukraine last week following an internal assessment of its own stockpiles. Some of these weapons were already in Poland waiting for final transfer. The news came as a shock. While the Trump administration has taken a more nuanced approach to Ukraine and Russia than its predecessor, it had continued the flow of weapons to Kyiv as leverage in its effort to bring Moscow to the negotiating table. The timing could not be worse. Russia has launched some of the most intense aerial bombardments in the history of its invasion, including night-time barrages of more than 400 drones and ballistic missiles at a time. For Ukraine, already stretched thin on ammunition and air defense capabilities, this freeze in support threatens to make a difficult situation even more dire. The decision also undermines President Donald Trump's stated goal of ending the war. On the campaign trail, Trump repeatedly emphasized the need to bring Russia and Ukraine to a negotiated settlement and made it a cornerstone of his foreign policy. But six months after he returned to the Oval Office, the war appears no closer to resolution than it was on his first day. There is no doubt the president has been sincere in his desire to bring the two sides to the table. He has called for a ceasefire and for negotiations, and Ukraine has signaled its willingness to work with the White House. The Kremlin, however, has been far more reluctant. Trump has hinted at increasing pressure on Russia to engage more seriously in diplomacy. That's precisely why the Pentagon's decision to halt aid is so surprising — and damaging. Trump appeared to have geopolitical momentum on his side. His bold military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, an action many believed he would never take, restored a sense of American credibility abroad, especially after what many saw as the Biden administration's appeasement of Tehran. Then, at the NATO summit in The Hague, Trump had a major win. He convinced European allies to commit to significantly increased defense spending, including a landmark pledge to reach 5 percent of GDP by 2035 — spending levels not seen even during the Cold War. At that same summit, a Ukrainian journalist asked Trump about the urgent need for air defense systems to protect civilians from Russian missile attacks. The president responded with genuine emotion. He said he would return to Washington and explore the possibility of sending more Patriot missile interceptors to Ukraine. Days later, however, his own Department of Defense contradicted both his words and apparent intent. There is no doubt Trump has been sincere in his desire to bring the two sides to the table. Luke Coffey This is not the first time the Pentagon has acted out of sync with the president. In February, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ordered a temporary halt to military assistance to Ukraine without coordinating with the White House. That pause lasted only a few days, but it rattled allies and partners across Europe and sent shockwaves through Kyiv. At the time, the White House quietly aired its frustration. Now, it appears the Pentagon may be repeating the same mistake. This latest move underscores a deeper problem: an ideological struggle within the Trump administration over US foreign policy. On one side are the isolationists who believe America should retreat from global commitments and focus exclusively on domestic concerns. They see little value in supporting Ukraine or NATO, or even maintaining a robust defense budget, since their vision of America's role in the world is minimal at best. Opposing them are the so-called prioritizers, who believe the US should focus nearly all of its strategic energy and resources on Asia, and particularly on countering the growing threat from China. In this view, America must prepare for a potential conflict over Taiwan, even if doing so means deprioritizing Europe or the Middle East. Every dollar spent and every missile deployed must serve the Indo-Pacific theater first. Both factions, for different reasons, see Ukraine as a distraction, so when aid is withheld, both are satisfied. As long as this internal tug-of-war continues, behind closed doors and in public, the president will struggle to implement a coherent and effective foreign policy. Trump may be most comfortable dealing with issues such as trade, the economy, and border security, but the reality is that global leadership also requires strategic clarity on defense and diplomacy. To succeed, he needs a team aligned with his vision — not one that undermines it. Now is the time for Trump to reassert control and redouble efforts to end Russia's war in a way that promotes lasting European stability and delivers a fair, just outcome for Ukraine. Achieving this will probably be one of the most difficult foreign policy challenges of his presidency. But he cannot meet that challenge with a divided administration. He needs a unified front — particularly from his Department of Defense. The sooner Trump reverses the Pentagon's decision to halt military aid to Ukraine, the better the prospects for peace. Time is of the essence, and any further delay could cost lives — and squander the strategic gains he has worked hard to achieve.
Arab News
8 hours ago
- Arab News
Pro-Palestinian group loses bid to block UK government's ban under anti-terrorism laws
LONDON: The pro-Palestinian activist group Palestine Action lost a bid to block the British government's decision to ban it under anti-terrorism laws after activists broke into a military base last month and vandalized two a hearing on Friday at the Hight Court in London, the group had sought to block the ban, which will come into force at ban, which was approved by Parliament earlier this week, will make membership of the group and support of its actions a criminal offense punishable by up to 14 years in ban was triggered after pro-Palestinian activists broke into a Royal Air Force base in Brize Norton, damaging two planes using red paint and crowbars in protest at the British government's ongoing military support for Israel in its war in said that the incident caused around 7 million pounds ($9.4 million) worth of damage, with four people charged in connection with the four, aged between 22 and 35, were charged Thursday with conspiracy to commit criminal damage and conspiracy to enter a prohibited place for purposes prejudicial to the interests of the UK No pleas were entered at Westminster Magistrates' Court in central London and the four are scheduled to appear on July 18 at the Central Criminal Secretary Yvette Cooper announced plans to proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist organization a few days after the break-in. She said the vandalism to the two planes was 'disgraceful,' adding that the group had a 'long history of unacceptable criminal damage.'
