A number of students had organized a sit-in in the reading room of the university's main library, raising banners denouncing the Israeli war of extermination in the Gaza Strip. They were later joined by dozens of demonstrators who managed to bypass university security.
The police used a special armored vehicle to enter the building where the protesters were located.
Minutes before police stormed the campus, New York City Mayor Eric Adams called on protesting students to leave the university building, saying, "We urge protesters and anyone violating Columbia University's order to leave the area."
Adams addressed the students' families, saying, "If you are a parent or guardian of a student, please contact your child and urge them to leave the area before the situation escalates. This is for their safety and the safety of others."
Before police stormed the Columbia University campus, they launched a campaign of arrests around the university, where dozens of protesters had gathered to join the student sit-in.
Reuters, citing an eyewitness, confirmed that campus security personnel escorted people out of the gate and handed them over to police officers outside.
On Tuesday, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk criticized excessive police intervention to disperse student protests against the war on Gaza on American campuses.
In a statement, Turk said that the US police intervention was disproportionate to the demonstrations taking place on university campuses, and that the authorities had taken a series of strict measures to disperse and dismantle the demonstrations, stressing the importance of respecting freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly.
Pro-Palestine demonstrations, which began on several US campuses in April of last year, continued for about six weeks. During this period, protests against Israel and the US administration were held on nearly all major campuses across the country, against the backdrop of the war in the Gaza Strip.
Israel has been strongly attacking American student protests against the war of extermination in Gaza.
The previous US administration, led by Joe Biden, also opposed the protests, but current President Donald Trump announced sanctions against students who participate in the protests.
The US administration is using financial cuts and investigations into universities to pressure university administrations to prevent demonstrations in support of Palestine.
