‘Incensed’ Columbia Chief Blasts Protesters After 80 Arrests
Protesters are escorted out of Columbia University's Butler Library after their arrest for occupying the library space in New York City, on May 7.
Photographer: Spencer Platt/Getty ImagesThe crackdown was swift and the message was unequivocal: Columbia University has little tolerance for protesters who spark chaos on campus.
The New York City school’s acting president, Claire Shipman, said she was “incensed” after masked demonstrators on Wednesday burst into the school’s main library and draped Palestinian flags along its walls, disrupting 900 students studying for final exams. By the end of the day, the police were called in, protesters were cleared out and 80 people were arrested.