Columbia University Student Protests: A Historical Perspective

Columbia University has a long history of student protest, with notable demonstrations occurring as far back as 1936 when Robert Burke led a rally outside President Nicholas Murray Butler's mansion to protest Columbia's relationship with the Nazis. However, the university's student protests became particularly prominent during the 1968 global uproar, when students occupied several university buildings to protest the U.S. government's involvement in the Vietnam War and the university's plans for a segregated gymnasium. More recently, in 2024, Columbia University witnessed pro-Palestinian protests and encampments, leading to increased security measures and policy changes, including restrictions on demonstrations and disciplinary procedures.

Protests against Columbia University's ties with the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) in 1968

The protests at Columbia University in 1968 were sparked by the university's plans to build a gymnasium in Morningside Park, which was opposed by residents of Harlem and Morningside Heights, and its ties with the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA). The students and community members argued that the gym would be segregated and that it would desecrate the work of Frederick Law Olmsted, the designer of the park. They also believed that Columbia had been stealing land and resources from the nearby Harlem community.

The IDA, a Department of Defense think tank, had been working with Columbia University since 1955 to foster connections between the university and the defense establishment. The IDA developed weapons technology, including automated electronic battlefield weapons, that were used by the Pentagon to prolong the war in Indochina and Vietnam. Students felt that the university administration, particularly President Grayson Kirk and Trustee Burden, had failed to be transparent about Columbia's institutional membership in the IDA.

The protests began in March 1968, with a peaceful demonstration inside the Low Library administration building. Six anti-war student activists, known as "The IDA Six," were placed on probation by the university for violating the ban on indoor demonstrations. This was followed by a second, more confrontational demonstration on April 23, 1968, at the university sundial. The protesters demanded that Columbia stop the construction of the gymnasium and sever all ties with the IDA. They also called for the resignation of President Kirk and Trustee Burden from their positions at the IDA.

The protests continued into May 1968, with more students being arrested and injured by the New York City police. By the end of the uprising, nearly 1,000 protesters had occupied five university buildings, and the campus was on lockdown after the dean was taken hostage. The protests achieved two of their main goals: Columbia disaffiliated from the IDA and scrapped the plans for the controversial gym, opting instead for a subterranean physical fitness center under the north end of the campus.

Students occupied buildings in 1968 to protest the Vietnam War

In April 1968, students at Columbia University in New York City occupied several buildings on campus to protest the university's links to the Vietnam War and its plans for a segregated gymnasium in nearby Morningside Park. This protest was part of a series of demonstrations that occurred globally in 1968, with students at Columbia specifically demanding the immediate withdrawal of US forces from Vietnam.

The first building to be occupied was Hamilton Hall, which was soon transformed into living quarters for 86 Black protesters who covered its walls with portraits of Black Power leaders and renamed it the "Malcolm X Liberation College". The occupation of Hamilton Hall sparked the occupation of four other buildings by students, including Kent Hall and Lewisohn Hall, with over 700 students participating in the protests. The acting dean of Columbia College, Henry Coleman, was held hostage for over 24 hours.

The protests in 1968 were not the first of their kind at Columbia University. In March 1968, students from the Columbia SDS (Students for a Democratic Society) and the Columbia Student Afro Society (SAS) held a confrontational demonstration in response to the university's attempts to suppress anti-IDA (Institute for Defense Analyses) protests and its plans for the segregated Morningside Park gymnasium. The IDA was a research group affiliated with the US Department of Defense, which students wanted Columbia to disassociate from.

The 1968 protests resulted in the violent removal of protesters by the New York City Police Department and the arrest of over 700 students. However, the protests achieved two of their stated goals: Columbia disaffiliated from the IDA and scrapped the plans for the segregated gym, opting to build a subterranean physical fitness center under the north end of campus instead.

Protests against Columbia's investments in South Africa in the 1980s

In the 1980s, Columbia University students protested the university's investments in corporations that operated in Apartheid South Africa. On April 4, 1985, seven students, members of the Coalition for a Free South Africa (CFSA), chained the doors of the administrative building, Hamilton Hall, shut and sat on the steps, blocking the entrance. The protest was the culmination of years of activism by student leaders at Columbia, demanding that the university divest from its investments in South Africa-related companies.

The CFSA had been formed in 1982 and had frequently led protests in favor of divestment. In 1982, they convinced the Student Senate to approve a motion to support divestiture, and the University Senate approved a similar motion the following year. However, by the fall of 1984, the CFSA felt that the official channels were not effective, and they began planning more visible protests. They believed that escalation was necessary to win over the trustees, who held the power to implement change.

In March 1985, seven CFSA members began a fast to demonstrate their commitment to the cause. When this did not garner the desired response from the administration, they escalated their protest. On April 4, they blockaded Hamilton Hall, with the number of protesters growing from seven to more than 250 within two hours. This protest lasted for about three weeks, with about 300 students participating. The protesters received support from associate professor of law Gerard Lynch, who served as their legal advisor, and William Kunstler, who represented some of the protesters.

As a result of the protest, a panel of six trustees was formed to consider divestiture. In late August, the panel concluded that divestiture was not only morally right but also economically beneficial. On October 7, the full board of 24 trustees adopted the panel's recommendation and voted to divest the university of its investments with South African connections. This victory for the protesters influenced many other divestment campaigns on campuses across the country.

Pro-Palestinian protests in 2023 led to a police raid and arrests

In 2023, Columbia University students protested against Israel's military operation in Gaza following the Hamas attack on 7 October. The pro-Palestinian protests , which included rallies, demonstrations, campaigns, and vigils, continued into the following year.

On 17 April 2024, pro-Palestinian students at Columbia University established an encampment of around 50 tents on campus, calling for the university to divest from Israel. The next day, university president Minouche Shafik authorised the New York City Police Department (NYPD) to enter the campus and conduct mass arrests, dismantling the first encampment. A new encampment was built the following day, and negotiations with protesters began. However, the talks failed on 29 April, resulting in the suspension of student protesters.

The following day, protesters broke into and occupied Hamilton Hall, leading to a second NYPD raid and the arrest of more than 100 protesters. The camp was also fully dismantled. The police raid and arrests led to the cancellation of Columbia University's main graduation ceremony, leaving the student body with a sense of deep unease as they left for the summer break.

The Columbia University protests were part of widespread campus unrest across the United States, with over 3,100 protesters arrested on more than 60 campuses. The protests also spread internationally, with mass arrests in the Netherlands and encampments established in the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada.

Protests against Donald Trump's revocation of $400 million in federal funding in 2025

In 2025, Columbia University students protested against former US President Donald Trump's decision to revoke $400 million in federal funding to the university. The protests were in response to Trump's accusation that Columbia had failed to protect its students and faculty from antisemitic violence and harassment during the Israel-Hamas war, which began in October 2023. The war led to around 1,200 deaths and 251 people taken hostage.

The protests reflected the wider political climate in the US, with Trump threatening to cut funding to universities that tolerated antisemitism and allowed pro-Palestine activism on their campuses. Columbia University, an Ivy League institution, had become the epicentre of nationwide demonstrations in the previous academic year, with pro-Palestinian protests, encampments, counter-protests, building takeovers, and arrests. The university's president, Minouche Shafik, resigned following the police raid on the pro-Palestinian encampment.

The Trump administration demanded that Columbia University make several changes, including enforcing disciplinary policies, implementing rules for protests (such as banning masks), announcing plans to hold student groups accountable, empowering law enforcement, and reviewing its Middle East studies programs and admissions. The university's board of trustees endorsed the reforms, stating that they were in line with the school's values and mission. However, the agreement stunned and dismayed many faculty members, indicating a potential new stage in the administration's clash with elite colleges.

The protests and subsequent policy changes at Columbia University echoed a broader trend of student activism and university responses. Institutions such as Harvard, Stanford, and the University of Michigan also faced federal inquiries and the threat of funding cuts. The Columbia University protests, in particular, demonstrated the power of student activism in influencing institutional policies and drawing attention to issues beyond the campus, reflecting a long history of student protests at the university dating back to the twentieth century.

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