80 Arrested After Masked Protesters Spark Chaos at Columbia University

Swift response marks shift from 2024 when school in NYC was criticized for inaction

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NEW YORK - The crackdown was swift and the message was unequivocal: Columbia University has little tolerance for protesters who spark chaos on campus.

The New York City school's acting president, Ms. Claire Shipman, said she was "incensed" after masked demonstrators on May 7 burst into the school's main library and draped Palestinian flags along its walls, causing disruption for 900 students studying for final exams.

By the end of the day, the police were called in, protesters were cleared out, and 80 people were arrested.

"We, at Columbia, value freedom of speech, robust debate and peaceful protest. Today's disruption of Butler Library was not that," Ms. Shipman said in a video.

"There is a clear line between legitimate protest and actions that endanger others and disrupt the fundamental work of the university. The disciplinary proceedings will reflect the severity of the actions."

The pace and forcefulness of the response by the university marks a shift from 2024, when it was criticized for equivocation, inaction, and tolerance of anti-Semitism as protests against Israel's military campaign in Gaza gripped the Morningside Heights campus. It took almost a year for the school to issue expulsions and multi-year suspensions to students involved in the takeover — and vandalism—of a different campus building in April 2024.