Multiple people in custody after pro-Palestinian demonstration at Columbia University library

CNN Multiple people were taken into custody by the New York Police Department at Columbia University after a pro-Palestinian protest in an area of the main library on campus Wednesday University representatives petitioned the NYPD for help Wednesday night securing Butler Library due to the number of individuals participating in the disruption inside and outside of the building a large group of people attempting to force their way into Butler Library creating a safety hazard and what we believe to be the notable presence of individuals not affiliated with the University acting university President Claire Shipman explained in a comment Charges are pending against the individuals the NYPD disclosed It s unclear how countless people have been detained or what charges they may face The university had earlier announced there was a disruption in reading room of Butler Library about two days before final exams are scheduled to begin at the university Protesters entered the room around p m ET CNN affiliate WABC disclosed Two university safety officers were injured during a crowd surge when individuals attempted to enter the library Shipman declared No details were available on the nature of their injuries Video from inside the library earlier Wednesday shows residents safety officers confronting protesters who were being blocked and pushed from the library doors as specific yell let them out Stop You re hurting me one protester is heard shouting New York City Mayor Eric Adams revealed on X around p m ET that NYPD is entering the campus to remove individuals who are trespassing At the direct request of Columbia University the NYPD responded to an ongoing situation on campus where individuals have occupied a library and are trespassing an NYPD spokesperson disclosed in a comment to CNN Multiple individuals who did not comply with verbal warnings by the NYPD to disperse were taken into custody Videos from the scene exhibited officers escorting at least people from the building in zip ties and taking them to an NYPD bus down the block Officers with crowd control gear including riot helmets and batons are seen as the crowd chants Free Palestine Protesters who are asking for the university to divest from companies that have ties to Israel called for the library to be renamed the Basel Al-Araj Popular University according to a Substack post from Columbia University Apartheid Divest Al-Araj a Palestinian activist died in It s unclear whether all the demonstrators at the library Wednesday are affiliated with the group CNN has reached out to Columbia for more information The demonstration comes about a year after pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University initiated a wave of demonstrations at college campuses across the country Protesters in barricaded inside Hamilton Hall calling for it to be renamed Hind s Hall after a -year-old girl who was killed by Israeli tank fire while in her family s car in Gaza Officers repeatedly sought demonstrators to identify themselves and leave the building though none have agreed to do so Shipman revealed The demonstrators were recounted they would be in violation of university rules and face doable arrest for trespassing if they didn t disperse Shipman added Individuals not involved in the protest were able to exit the library the university noted While this is isolated to one room in the library it is perfectly unacceptable that specific individuals are choosing to disrupt academic engagements as our students are studying and preparing for final exams the university noted These disruptions of our campus and academic sessions will not be tolerated The university has stated that those ascertained in violation of university rules and policies will face disciplinary consequences during the ongoing demonstration New York Gov Kathy Hochul explained she has been briefed on the situation and is grateful to populace safety leaders for keeping students safe