Columbia suspends anti-Israel agitators after takeover, spreading of pamphlets glorifying alleged terrorist

Columbia University has temporarily suspended 65 students aft anti-Israel agitators took implicit a field gathering and handed retired pamphlets that glorified an alleged violent this week.

The protesters stormed into Columbia University's Butler Library connected Wednesday evening, claiming to person renamed the gathering "Basel Al-Araj Popular University." According to the NYPD, 80 arrests were made, with 19 males and 61 females being taken into custody by police. Seventy-eight of those individuals were issued a table quality summons for transgression trespass, and the different 2 arrested protesters were issued a summons.

Protesters astatine Columbia University handed retired a pamphlet that glorified an alleged terrorist. (Fox News)

Homeland Security Investigations is requesting fingerprints and the names of those arrested to cheque their visa status.

In summation to the pupil suspensions, Columbia has besides barred an unspecified fig of alumni from campus, and 33 others from affiliated institutions.

COLUMBIA FACULTY RIGHTS GROUP CONDEMNS UNIVERSITY'S HANDLING OF LIBRARY TAKEOVER: 'AUTHORITARIAN ETHOS'

Protesters blanketed a array with fliers that glorified an alleged terrorist. (Fox News)

At the clip anti-Israel agitators rushed into the library, students were studying for last exams. Protesters were chanting "Free Palestine" and demanding that the assemblage divest from Israel. Some protesters were seen climbing connected tables wrong the library.

During the room takeover, students handed retired pamphlets glorifying Basel Al-Araj Popular University, an alleged violent who was suspected of readying attacks successful Israel, according to The Times of Israel.

Al-Araj was killed by the Israel Defense Forces and Israel Police’s counterterrorism portion successful 2017. Officials allege helium was portion of a violent compartment plotting attacks connected Israeli targets.

He "directed the compartment and was liable for purchasing the weaponry," constabulary said astatine the time.

Pro-Hamas slogans connected sheets are hung wrong Butler Library connected the field of Columbia University, wherever protesters occupied the gathering connected Wednesday, May 7, 2025. The protesters were subsequently arrested by the NYPD. (Sam Nahins)

Al-Araj was killed aft helium opened occurrence connected Israeli authorities during an apprehension raid.

Columbia University Apartheid Divest, which helped signifier the room takeover, posted a information of the pamphlet connected its X account. 

Portions of the worldly handed retired to students were posted online, showing the field groups made a leader retired of Al-Araj.

MOSTLY WOMEN ARRESTED IN COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARY TAKEOVER: NYPD

Pro-Hamas protesters locomotion the perimeter of Columbia University successful New York City connected Wednesday, May 7, 2025. Earlier that day protesters had occupied the Butler Library to show their enactment for Hamas. (Rashid Umar Abbasi for Fox News Digital)

"At the archetypal Popular University task successful the West Bank, Basel al-Araj taught astir the Palestinian absorption and insisted that cognition indispensable service liberation, not empire," reads the pamphlet posted by CU Apartheid Divest. "Today, we thatch each different the stories our universities garbage to tell. We provender each other, support each other, larn with and from each other. The Popular University is not lone a request for divestment."

Included successful the pamphlets is simply a database of demands, which see divestment from Israel, "Cops and ICE disconnected our campus" and amnesty for each Columbia University members facing discipline.

COLUMBIA'S ACTING PRESIDENT SLAMS STORMING OF CAMPUS LIBRARY BY ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS: 'UTTERLY UNACCEPTABLE'

Claire Shipman, Columbia's acting president, said successful a connection Wednesday the NYPD was called to assistance "secure" the library. She added that 2 assemblage constabulary officers were injured.

"Sadly, during the people of this disruption, 2 of our Columbia Public Safety Officers sustained injuries during a assemblage surge erstwhile individuals attempted to unit their mode into the gathering and into Room 301," Shipman said. "These actions are outrageous."

In a abstracted statement, Shipman called retired the room takeover arsenic unacceptable.

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Protest stickers were enactment connected the doors astatine Butler Library connected Columbia University's field connected May 7, 2025 successful New York City. Pro-Palestinian protesters held a objection wrong the Butler Library connected Columbia University’s campus, disrupting finals week. ( Indy Scholtens/Getty Images)

"Disruptions to our world activities volition not beryllium tolerated and are violations of our rules and policies; this is particularly unacceptable portion our students survey and hole for last exams. Columbia powerfully condemns unit connected our campus, antisemitism and each forms of hatred and discrimination, immoderate of which we witnessed today. We are resolute that calls for unit oregon harm person nary spot astatine our University," Shipman said.

Fox News' Greg Wehner, Alexis McAdams, Jennifer Johnson, Louis Casiano and Bill Melugin contributed to this report.