Pro-Palestinian protesters rally outside Columbia gates as Israeli and Jewish students commemorate Oct. 7 attacks

 Over 100 pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside the 116th Street and Broadway gates Tuesday afternoon, the two-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel that catalyzed the ongoing war in Gaza.

Within the gates, Israeli and Jewish affiliates commemorated Oct. 7 at the Sundial, part of a series of programming throughout the week honoring the victims killed in the Hamas attacks. 

Pro-Palestinian protesters hold rally during Commencement

Dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside the 116th Street and Broadway gates during Columbia’s central Commencement ceremony earlier this morning. 

New York Police Department officers put up metal barricades to redirect foot traffic from the gates and cordon off protesters on 116th Street and Broadway. 

Protesters waved Palestinian flags and held signs reading “Shame” with the Columbia logo flipped upside down. 

At around 11:15 a.m., NYPD Strategic Response Group officers entered the area with zip ties and face shields. A group of officers forced a protester to the ground as other officers moved metal barricades to further block off protesters. 

In a Monday Instagram post, an account named “columbia4palestine”announced a rally at 10 a.m. on Wednesday outside the gates during the ceremony. The post encouraged attendees to bring noisemakers and wear masks. 

“We say firmly: there can be no graduation as usual while Columbia University remains complicit through providing investment, research, and ideological cover to genocide while repressing those who stand on the right side of history,” the caption of the post reads.

NYPD arrests 78 after Butler Library protest
NYPD officers use force against demonstrators picketing around Columbia
Rubio says State Department will review visa statuses of Butler Library protesters

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the federal government is “reviewing the visa status of the trespassers and vandals who took over Columbia University’s library” in a Wednesday post on X, condemning a pro-Palestinian protest in Butler Library.

“Pro-Hamas thugs are no longer welcome in our great nation,” Rubio wrote. Read the full story here.

Public Safety officers use force against protesters at Butler Library protest
NYPD officers respond with force to protesters picketing around Columbia after arrests at Butler Library

New York Police Department officers, some in riot gear, responded with force multiple times while over 100 protesters picketed around Columbia’s campus on Wednesday night following the NYPD arrests of over 75 individuals at a Butler Library protest.

At around 4:45 p.m., Within Our Lifetime called for an “Emergency Rally 4 Palestine” and urged protesters to “mobilize” at 116th Street and Broadway in a post on X.

At the picket, some officers got into verbal altercations before pushing the individuals. Officers chased protesters down Broadway and grabbed those who tried to run. Read the developing story here

NYPD arrests protesters after Shipman authorizes police to enter Butler Library

New York Police Department officers arrested at least 20 protesters and led them out of Butler Library into an NYPD bus on 114th Street at around 7:27 p.m. in response to a pro-Palestinian protest in the Lawrence A. Wien Reading Room.

Acting University President Claire Shipman, CC ’86, SIPA ’94, authorized the NYPD to enter Butler Wednesday evening, she wrote in a public statement.

NYPD officers entered campus through Butler at around 7:04 p.m. Read the developing story here.

Shipman authorizes NYPD to enter Butler Library as pro-Palestinian protest continues, several protesters exit

Acting University President Claire Shipman, CC ’86, SIPA ’94, authorized the New York Police Department to enter Butler Library amid an ongoing protest in the Lawrence A. Wien Reading Room, she wrote in a public statement Wednesday evening.

NYPD officers entered campus through Butler at around 7:04 p.m.

Over a dozen protesters exited Butler onto 114th Street and headed toward Amsterdam Avenue at around 7:10 p.m. Read the developing story here.

Shipman arrives at protest

Acting University President Claire Shipman, CC ’86, SIPA ’94, arrived at Butler at around 5:30 p.m.