Dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters arrested at Columbia University

New York constabulary person arrested dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters aft they occupied portion of the main room astatine Columbia University connected Wednesday.

Two assemblage information officers were injured erstwhile protesters forced their mode into Butler Library connected Wednesday, according to a connection from the assemblage president, who called activists' actions "outrageous".

Video posted connected societal media showed chanting protesters entering the library, galore wearing keffiyeh headscarves and masks, defying a prohibition from the Trump medication that was imposed aft wide field demonstrations past year.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the visa statuses of those progressive would beryllium reviewed.

More than 70 protesters were reportedly arrested. No 1 has yet been charged, and authorities person not fixed details astir who is being held and whether they are successful the US connected visas.

In a station connected societal media, the protesters accused the assemblage of "violent repression" and said that they had refused to amusement their IDs to constabulary and field nationalist information officers.

Rubio described the radical arsenic "trespassers and vandals". He added that "pro-Hamas thugs are nary longer invited successful our large nation", echoing Trump's justification for his caller crackdown connected pro-Palestinian field protests.

As good arsenic targeting salient individuals - by revoking hundreds of planetary pupil visas and threatening deportations - Trump's squad has besides taken nonstop purpose astatine top-tier US universities, specified arsenic Columbia, which helium accuses of failing to combat antisemitism connected campus.

Videos of the latest enactment astatine the prestigious New York instauration showed protesters vandalising bookshelves by penning "free Palestine".

Another clip showed nationalist information officers blocking the room door's exit and asking those wrong to amusement their Columbia IDs oregon look arrest, which led to an hours- agelong standoff.

Claire Shipman, the Columbia president, said she had asked the New York Police Department (NYPD) for assistance connected Wednesday, adding that galore of the protesters progressive successful the latest enactment were not students.

"At the nonstop petition of Columbia University, the NYPD is responding to an ongoing concern connected field wherever individuals person occupied a room and are trespassing," constabulary confirmed successful a station connected X.

Ms Shipman said that portion the protestation was isolated to 1 country successful the library, "it is wholly unacceptable that immoderate individuals are choosing to disrupt world activities arsenic our students are studying and preparing for last exams".

The Columbia president, who took implicit the relation successful March aft her predecessor resigned, asked students to enactment distant from the library.

"We volition not tolerate hatred oregon unit successful immoderate signifier successful our city," New York City Mayor Eric Adams said successful a station connected X.

It marks the archetypal clip that Columbia University has called the NYPD for an on-campus protestation since April 2024, erstwhile protesters occupied Hamilton Hall for astir 24 hours.

Columbia has drawn peculiar ire from Trump, who claims galore universities person tolerated antisemitism and harassment of Jewish students.

The president has already threatened to withhold immoderate $400m (£309m) successful national backing for Columbia, arsenic his medication continues to endanger those progressive successful erstwhile field protests with deportation.

In March, Columbia agreed to respective demands from the Trump administration, including a prohibition connected look masks astatine protests and a alteration successful oversight of immoderate world programmes, aft the medication said it planned to withhold millions successful national funds.

It is unclear whether the funds volition beryllium reinstated, though a suit was filed by immoderate of the module members implicit the cuts.

Columbia was the epicentre of past year's protests against the warfare successful Gaza and US enactment for Israel. But it is not the lone instauration that the US authorities has targeted.

The medication has warned 60 universities that backing whitethorn beryllium cancelled if allegations of antisemitism connected campuses are not addressed.

On Tuesday, Trump besides terminated $2.2 cardinal successful payer funds to Harvard University aft ordering a reappraisal of its national financing. The assemblage has refused to crook to Trump's demands.