New York police have arrested dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters after they occupied part of the main library at Columbia University on Wednesday.

Two university security officers were injured when protesters forced their way into Butler Library on Wednesday, according to a statement from University President Claire Shipman, who called their actions “outrageous”.

Video posted on social media showed chanting protesters entering the library, many wearing keffiyeh headscarves and masks, defying a ban imposed by the Trump administration.

Mrs Shipman said she asked the NYPD for assistance, and added that many of the protesters were not students.

More than 70 protesters were arrested by the police, Columbia Spectator, a campus newspaper, reported.

“At the direct request of Columbia University, the NYPD is responding to an ongoing situation on campus where individuals have occupied a library and are trespassing,” the NYPD posted on X.

Videos of the protests showed protesters vandalising bookshelves by writing “free Palestine”.

Another clip showed public safety officers blocking the library door’s exit and asking those inside to show their Columbia IDs or face arrest, which led to an hours- long standoff.

Columbia’s president said that while the protest was isolated to one room in the library, “it is completely unacceptable that some individuals are choosing to disrupt academic activities as our students are studying and preparing for final exams”.

Mrs Shipman, who took over the role in March after the previous president resigned, asked students to stay away from the library.

“We will not tolerate hate or violence in any form in our city,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in a post on X.

In a post on social media, the protestors accused the university of “violent repression” and said that they had refused to show their IDs to police and campus public safety officers.

It marks the first time that Columbia University has called the NYPD for an on-campus protest since April 2024, when pro-Palestinian protesters occupied Hamilton Hall for nearly 24 hours.

Columbia has drawn ire from US President Donald Trump, who claims many universities have tolerated antisemitism and harassment of Jewish students.

Trump has already threatened to withhold some $400m (£309m) in federal funding for Columbia, as his administration continues to target those involved in previous campus protests with deportation.

In March, Columbia agreed to several demands from the Trump administration, including a ban on face masks at protests and a change in oversight of some academic programmes, after the administration said it planned to withhold millions in federal funds.

It is unclear whether the funds will be reinstated, though a lawsuit was filed by some of the faculty members over the cuts.

The New York college was the epicentre of pro-Palestinian protests against the war in Gaza and US support for Israel on college campuses last year.

On Tuesday, Trump also terminated $2.2 billion in taxpayer funds to Harvard University after ordering a review of its federal financing.

The Trump administration has warned 60 universities that funding may be cancelled if allegations of antisemitism on campuses are not addressed.