Dozens of pro-Palestinian demonstrators were arrested after protesters occupied a reading room inside Columbia University's Butler Library in New York City on May 7, 2025, disrupting the campus during the university's final-exam period.
The protest centered on Butler Library's Reading Room 301. Columbia officials said participants refused repeated requests to identify themselves and leave the building. The university ultimately requested assistance from the New York Police Department, saying the situation had created safety risks and disrupted academic activities.
Columbia Called the NYPD After Hours-Long Standoff
In a May 7 statement, Columbia Acting President Claire Shipman said protesters inside the reading room had declined to provide identification or leave despite being warned that they could face university discipline and arrest for trespassing.
Shipman said a large group had also tried to force its way into the library and that two Columbia Public Safety officers were injured during a crowd surge. She described the conduct as unacceptable and said the university believed a significant number of people involved were not affiliated with Columbia.
The university had earlier told the campus community that people not participating in the demonstration were being allowed to leave and that the disruption was initially confined to one room. Students were advised to avoid the immediate area around Butler Library while officials responded.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams confirmed that Columbia had requested police assistance. In an interview published by the mayor's office, Adams said the NYPD was heading to the campus after university officials asked the city for help.
What Happened Inside Butler Library
News footage and reporting from the scene showed protesters wearing masks and keffiyehs, displaying Palestinian flags and protest banners, and writing messages on library property. Demonstrators were calling attention to the war in Gaza and pressing Columbia to divest from companies they said were connected to Israel or its military.
The university's account said protesters occupied the reading room while another group breached the library's front entrance. Columbia said the episode affected students preparing for examinations and violated university rules governing demonstrations and disruptions.
Protest organizers, meanwhile, accused the university of repressing pro-Palestinian activism and criticized campus security and police for demanding identification from participants. Those claims reflected the protesters' characterization of the university's response rather than an independently established finding.
Contemporary reports differed somewhat on the exact number of people arrested. The Associated Press reported that at least 80 people were detained, while other early reports gave lower estimates as arrests were still taking place. Subsequent public comments from New York City officials described the number as close to 80.
University Rules and the Mask Policy
The incident occurred after Columbia had tightened some campus protest rules amid intense federal pressure over allegations of antisemitism and the treatment of Jewish students.
Columbia's policies required people taking part in demonstrations to present university identification when asked by designated university officials or Public Safety officers. The university also adopted restrictions on face coverings intended to conceal identity during demonstrations, with exceptions for religious and health-related reasons.
Those were Columbia University policies rather than a direct federal ban on protesters wearing masks. The distinction is important because the federal government was applying financial and regulatory pressure to the university, while Columbia itself retained responsibility for adopting and enforcing its campus rules.
Federal Pressure on Columbia
The Butler Library confrontation came amid a broader dispute between Columbia and the Trump administration. Earlier in 2025, the administration canceled or threatened hundreds of millions of dollars in federal grants and contracts while accusing Columbia of failing to adequately address antisemitism on campus.
President Donald Trump and members of his administration repeatedly criticized universities over pro-Palestinian demonstrations and alleged antisemitic harassment. Protesters and some faculty members disputed aspects of that framing, arguing that criticism of Israel and advocacy for Palestinians should not automatically be treated as antisemitism.
Columbia subsequently announced changes involving campus discipline, protest rules and institutional oversight as it sought to address federal concerns and preserve research funding.
What Happened After the Arrests
Butler Library reopened the next day. Columbia said the affected third-floor reading room had been restored and that normal library operations were resuming as students entered final exams.
The university also began disciplinary proceedings. In a May 13 update, Columbia said 71 students had been placed on interim suspension. It also said 30 people from affiliated institutions, three alumni and five people with no university affiliation had been barred from campus while investigations continued.
Those interim measures were not final findings of misconduct.
Later, on July 21, 2025, Columbia's University Judicial Board issued disciplinary findings and sanctions arising from the Butler Library disruption. According to a university statement released the following day, sanctions across the cases included probation, suspensions ranging from one to three years, expulsions and degree revocations. Columbia did not publicly identify individual students or specify which sanction applied to each person.
The May 7 confrontation became another major flashpoint in the national debate over campus protest, free expression, university discipline, antisemitism and U.S. policy toward the Israel-Gaza war. It also highlighted the separate roles of university administrators, campus disciplinary bodies, city police and the federal government in responding to protests on private university property.
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