Columbia University Protest Leads to Arrests

(MENAFN) A significant number of pro-Palestinian activists were detained at Columbia University on Wednesday after attempting to take over Butler Library.

The protest led university President Minouche Shafik to summon the New York City Police Department (NYPD) to intervene.

The exact tally of those arrested remains uncertain, but according to the Columbia Spectator, more than 70 demonstrators were apprehended following their actions in the Lawrence A. Wien Reading Room.

Emergency responders transported two individuals from the campus on stretchers.

One was reportedly masked with a keffiyeh, a traditional scarf that has come to symbolize support for the Palestinian cause.

The other individual had their face hidden by a sheet, according to the student publication.

In a declaration published on social media, the Columbia University Apartheid Divest group stated, "Despite over three hours of kettling and assault by Columbia Public Safety, we continue to hold the line. We are facing one of the largest militarized police forces in the world.

Deputized Public Safety officers have choked and beaten us, but we have not wavered." The group emphasized their resolve and refusal to submit to intimidation.

They further asserted, "We refuse to show our IDs under militarized arrest. We refuse to go down quietly. We will not be useless intellectuals. Palestine is our compass, and we stand strong in the face of violent repression."

The statement underscores the group's determination to resist what they perceive as excessive force and unjust treatment.

MENAFN08052025000045017167ID1109522390