Dozens of anti-Israel agitators arrested after storming, taking over Columbia University library during finals

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Columbia University public safety warns students they will be arrested for trespassing in library

Columbia University public safety officers inform anti-Israel agitators on Wednesday that they will be arrested for trespassing in the school’s Butler Library.

Hours after more than 100 masked anti-Israel agitators stormed the Butler Library at Columbia University in New York City, pushing past campus security as students prepared for finals Wednesday afternoon, college officials summoned the New York Police Department (NYPD) in an effort to subdue the unruly mob.

At least 30 people have been arrested with more expected, NYPD sources told Fox News. 

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was also monitoring the situation. If arrests were made, the suspects were to be fingerprinted to determine if any are non-citizens, Fox News has learned. 

“Time to make a point,” one ICE source told Fox News. 

Non-protesting students told Fox News that they were forced to stop studying for finals and leave the library.

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Amid the chaos, the State Department warned foreign students about the consequences of breaking the law. 

“Foreign university students in America have been put on notice: if you break the law or support terrorism in our country, we will revoke your visa. This administration will not tolerate noncitizens causing mayhem on our college campuses.”

The protesters are reportedly rallying in support of Mahmoud Khalil, the accused ringleader of pro-Palestinian protests at the elite Ivy League institution, as well as other students. 

Khalil, a Columbia graduate, was arrested last month at his university-owned NYC apartment, with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), which is part of ICE, telling him they were revoking his green card and student visa, according to Khalil’s attorney, Amy Greer. He was then taken to a Louisiana detention center.

Flyers posted show protesters have renamed the Butler Library “Basel Al-Araj Popular University,” as well as the liberation zone.

Protesters are led out of Butler Library on the campus of Columbia University in zip-ties after being arrested by NYPD at  in New York City, NY Thursday, May 7, 2025. The protesters had occupied the library this afternoon to demonstrate their support for Hamas. (Rashid Umar Abbasi for Fox News Digital)

Students at Columbia said the protesters climbed on desks and chanted “Free Palestine,” while demanding the Ivy League school divest from Israel. The students also said they are worried an encampment could be set up.

Responding public safety officials also reportedly told masked protesters they were not allowed to leave the library until they showed their ID cards..

“Nobody comes in, nobody comes out,” Columbia University security personnel at a gate entry to the campus said. 

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In a statement on Wednesday, Claire Shipman, Columbia’s acting president, said the school has asked the New York Police Department to help “secure” the building and that two university police officers were injured. 

“Sadly, during the course of this disruption, two of our Columbia Public Safety Officers sustained injuries during a crowd surge when individuals attempted to force their way into the building and into Room 301,” Shipman said. “These actions are outrageous.”

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“Individuals participating in the Reading Room 301 disruption were repeatedly asked for identification and to leave, and were repeatedly told that failure to comply would result in violations of our rules and policies and possible arrest for trespassing,” she added. “We have been clear from the outset about applying our protocols and advising participants of the potential consequences of not complying. Requesting the presence of the NYPD is not the outcome we wanted, but it was absolutely necessary to secure the safety of our community.”

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A source told Fox News that the NYPD needs to make the arrests, so the suspects can be identified. 

New York Mayor Eric Adams said the city stands with Jewish New Yorkers, particularly those who attend Columbia. He further urged the parents of the protesters to “make clear that breaking the law is wrong and they should exit the building immediately.”

“To those protesting on campus who do not attend Columbia: exit the campus immediately or you will be arrested,” Adams said. We will not tolerate hate or violence in any form in our city.”

Anti-Israel agitators invaded the Butler Library at Columbia University in New York City on Wednesday, taking over part of the facility and setting up a “Liberation Zone.”

A university spokesperson said earlier that the disruptions “will not be tolerated.”

“These disruptions of our campus and academic activities will not be tolerated,” the statement continued. “Individuals found to be in violation of University Rules and policies will face disciplinary consequences. We ask our community members to please avoid the immediate area near Butler Library in the near term.”

Last month, Columbia warned that it would tear down any encampments and potentially arrest agitators, should they try and set up encampments on campus again this year.

The stern warning comes after the university said it became aware of secretive plans to repeat last year’s protest at the university, which culminated in students taking control of Hamilton Hall and clashing with police in riot gear. The ugly scenes saw more than 200 people arrested as students protested Israel’s war in Gaza in response to the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas that left more than 1,200 people dead. 

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Anti-Israel agitators invaded the Butler Library at Columbia University in New York City on Wednesday, taking over part of the facility and setting up a “Liberation Zone.”

The university said authorities would immediately take steps to remove tents or other structures and tell demonstrators to disperse.

PRO-ISRAEL INFLUENCER SAYS BIBAS MEMORIAL IN NYC ‘BROUGHT OUT THE WORST’ IN ANTISEMITES

Columbia said it values free expression and the right to protest, but such activities must be conducted in accordance with university rules and policies to ensure safety and allow academic and other campus activities to continue unimpeded.  

Columbia University President Minouche Shafik stepped down after months of criticism of her handling of the protests, many of which devolved into clashes between anti-Israel demonstrators and police, and antisemitism on campus. 

Columbia has come under intense scrutiny over the rise in antisemitism on campus, with Trump canceling $400 million in grants to the university in March. 

That led to Columbia caving to certain demands in an attempt to restore funding.

Tuesday’s protests came as Columbia announced that it may lay off 180 staff members following the Trump administration’s announcement in March that it had canceled $400 million in federal grants over the school’s “failure to protect Jewish students from antisemitic harassment.” 

“Across the research portfolio we have had to make difficult choices and unfortunately, today, nearly 180 of our colleagues who have been working, in whole or in part, on impacted federal grants, will receive notices of non-renewal or termination,” Shipman said. “This represents about 20% of the individuals who are funded in some manner by the terminated grant.”

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U.S. Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., chair of the House GOP, criticized Democrats calling for investigations into universities where anti-Israel protests have sprung up. 

We don’t need to do an investigation. We know what the problem is,” she said. “They have laws and they don’t follow them. Columbia is a prime example of what happens when there are no consequences to one’s actions.”

Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., praised Trump for withholding funds from the school amid a rise in antisemitism. 

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“While Columbia students try to study for finals, they’re being bombarded with chants for a “global intifada,” she wrote on X. “President @realDonaldTrump is right: not a single taxpayer dollar should go to a university that allows chaos, antisemitism, and civil rights violations on its campus. Columbia must act—enough is enough.”

Fox News’ Sandy Ibrahim and Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.

Greg Wehner is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital.

Story tips and ideas can be sent to Greg.Wehner@Fox.com and on Twitter @GregWehner.