Written by Lisa Murimi
The quiet halls of Columbia University’s Butler Library became the heart of a dramatic standoff Wednesday night, as dozens of students protesting Israel’s war in Gaza were zip-tied, arrested, and hauled into NYPD vans in a show of force that has left the campus and the nation divided.
Chants for justice echoed through the vaulted ceilings of the historic Lawrence A. Wein Reading Room, where students unfurled banners reading “Strike For Gaza” and “Liberated Zone,” turning a space of study into a call for global solidarity.
Hours later, those same students were dragged out, wrists bound, some bruised, others crying, as police swept through the six-story building.
Outside, crowds surged as campus security locked the library doors, sparking tense confrontations.
One student was seen being carried out on a stretcher. Another collapsed in tears after watching her peers loaded into police buses.
More than 40 students were arrested after refusing to leave. The NYPD intervened at the request of Columbia administrators, who labeled the occupation an act of trespassing.
Protesters say it was a cry for humanity — and a stand against complicity.
“Everyone has the right to peacefully protest. But violence, vandalism or destruction of property are completely unacceptable,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul said on social media.
The university later confirmed two of its public safety officers were injured during the confrontation.
But to many onlookers, it felt like a betrayal — a university silencing its own students for demanding ethical accountability.
Former President Donald Trump has condemned such actions, alleging antisemitism, while student organizers—including some Jewish activists—say the criticism wrongly conflates political protest with hate.
Columbia is now at the epicenter of a nationwide uprising, as students from coast to coast risk arrest and suspension to demand divestment from companies linked to Israel’s military.
As night fell, the message from students was clear: “We will not be quiet. Not while Gaza burns.”
