Columbia University just had one of the largest pro-Palestinian protests ever seen on its own campus. This episode caused the police to arrest over 70 protesters and left two security personnel injured. This incident was considered the largest campus police action since the Kent State shootings of April 1970. New University President Claire Shipman was appointed in March after her predecessor resigned in disgrace. What she disliked the most was the protest’s disruption at such important academic times.
As we reported earlier, students organized an incredibly powerful walkout to protest war in Gaza and US complicity and support for Israel. This demonstration played out on the backdrop of growing tensions over campus antisemitism. Rather than take community demands seriously, in response to the unrest Columbia University summoned the New York Police Department (NYPD) to control the protests.
To these students, President Shipman offered a warning, advising students to avoid the library at all costs. Protests intensified within them, culminating in outrage as protestors stormed into the Butler Library.
“It is completely unacceptable that some individuals are choosing to disrupt academic activities as our students are studying and preparing for final exams,” – Columbia’s President, Claire Shipman.
The protest occurred against the backdrop of previous settlements between Columbia University and the Trump administration. Of the demands made in March, the university did capitulate on a few. Among these were prohibiting the use of face masks at protests and rolling back oversight of ethnic studies programs. The Trump administration threatened to withhold millions in federal funds from Columbia if allegations of antisemitism on campus were not addressed.
U.S. President Donald Trump has pointed to numerous universities, including Columbia, as institutions that have tolerated antisemitism and harassment of Jewish students. Most notably, he recently announced that he’s withholding $2.2 billion in taxpayer dollars to Harvard University. All the while, he has threatened to withhold approximately $400 million of federal funding to Columbia University.
Within hours of the events, New York City Mayor Eric Adams took a clear stand. He reiterated a zero-tolerance policy for all hate or violence in the city.
“We will not tolerate hate or violence in any form in our city,” – New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
The incident reflects ongoing national debates and tensions surrounding free speech, academic environments, and the broader implications of U.S. foreign policy. Columbia University has been an incubator of pro-Palestinian activism for decades. This has only grown as focus from around the world on the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza intensifies.
Debate over the effect of such protests on campus culture and budgetary allocations continues. At the same time, university administrators and municipal leaders are increasingly intent on maintaining safety and order in areas of education.
