Pro-Palestinian demonstrators clash with security guards at Columbia University

NEW YORK – Pro-Palestinian protestors wearing masks and keffiyehs clashed with information guards Wednesday aft staging a protestation wrong Columbia University's main library.

Videos and photos shared connected societal media showed dozens of protesters pushing past field information officers and racing into the building. The radical past hung Palestinian flags and different banners connected bookshelves successful an ornate speechmaking room. Some besides appeared to person scrawled “Columbia volition burn” across framed pictures.

Other videos showed field information officers barring different radical of protesters from entering the library, with some sides shoving to effort and unit the different radical aside.

University officials successful a connection that the protestation is truthful acold isolated to 1 country successful the library. They accidental protesters were asked for recognition and ordered to disperse, but nary instantly complied.

“They person been told that nonaccomplishment to comply volition effect successful violations of our rules and policies and imaginable arrest,” officials said, noting that the disruption comes arsenic students are studying and preparing for last exams.

“These disruptions of our field and world activities volition not beryllium tolerated. Individuals recovered to beryllium successful usurpation of University Rules and policies volition look disciplinary consequences,” officials added.

Mayor Eric Adams said constabulary were monitoring the concern and successful connection with the university. A constabulary section said officers were alert of the disturbance and had been stationed adjacent acceptable to intervene if requested.

Following threats by the Trump medication to its national funding, Columbia successful March announced sweeping argumentation changes.

Among them, a prohibition connected students wearing masks to conceal their identities and a regularisation that those protesting connected field indispensable contiguous their recognition erstwhile asked. The schoolhouse besides said it had hired caller nationalist information officers empowered to marque arrests connected campus.

Columbia University Apartheid Divest, a pro-Palestinian pupil group, said it had occupied portion of Butler Library due to the fact that it believed the assemblage profited from “imperialist violence.”

“Repression breeds absorption — if Columbia escalates repression, the radical volition proceed to escalate disruptions connected this campus," the radical wrote online.

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