Columbia University ‘Liberated Zone’ ends with dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters arrested

A major protest in support of Palestine at Columbia University ended with dozens of demonstrators being arrested on Wednesday evening.

The protest was mainly organized by the student group Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) and involved taking over the main reading room of Butler Library. The group symbolically renamed the space the “Basel Al-Araj Popular University” in memory of a Palestinian writer who was killed by Israeli forces in 2017.

The protest was a direct reaction to Israel’s continued blockade of Gaza and the Trump administration’s increasingly harsh approach toward pro-Palestinian activism on college campuses. According to NBC, the protest started in the afternoon when a large group of masked individuals, many wearing keffiyehs, entered the library.

They carried out various actions, including standing on tables, displaying banners with slogans like “Strike for Gaza” and “Liberated Zone,” and writing phrases such as “Free Gaza” on library furniture and glass cases. The protesters handed out pamphlets listing their demands, which included completely cutting financial ties with Israel, removing police and ICE from campus, and granting amnesty to students facing punishment from the university.

Protestors detained after taking over campus

This demonstration followed similar protests at other universities, including a recent one at the University of Washington, where students occupied a building to demand the school end its connections with Boeing due to the company’s military contracts with Israel.

At first, university officials responded by sending campus public safety officers, who tried to calm the situation by warning protesters about possible disciplinary action or arrest for trespassing. However, the protesters refused to leave, leading to a physical confrontation that left two public safety officers injured. Videos shared online show a crowd pushing against security personnel as they tried to stop more people from entering the library. Eventually, the university called the New York Police Department (NYPD) for help.

When the NYPD arrived, the situation grew more tense, leading to a standoff and the arrest of at least 75 protesters. Videos show protesters being handcuffed and put onto buses. The arrests happened after university officials declared the protest a major disruption, noting that the demonstrators had refused to identify themselves or leave despite multiple warnings.

The university said it called the police due to safety concerns and because the protest was interfering with academic activities. The library was then shut down, forcing students to leave the building.