When protesters took over Columbia University’s Butler Library on May 7, prevented others from using the library for their studies, vandalized the building, and apparently assaulted university staff, they were not just violating the university's rules. They were also engaged in criminal activity.

As HxA has previously stated, the right to protest from any point of view on any topic is an essential aspect of freedom of speech vital to the health of college campuses. But the right does not extend to occupying buildings, excluding others from shared spaces, vandalism, violence, or any other attempt to disrupt the functioning of an institution of higher education. Those activities prevent others from engaging in open inquiry (including research and studying) and can—as they did at Butler Library—also endanger people.

Columbia University took swift action. Its public safety department, working alongside the New York Police Department, demanded that protesters provide identification and leave the premises.

In her statement the next day, Columbia’s Acting President Claire Shipman described witnessing “Public Safety officers wheeled out on a gurney and another getting bandaged.” She also remarked on how the library had been damaged and defaced with what she described as “disturbing slogans.”

Shipman’s remarks were not merely descriptive. She importantly added, “There is a clear line between legitimate protest and actions that endanger others and disrupt the fundamental work of the University. Today that line was crossed, and I have confidence the disciplinary proceedings will reflect the severity of the actions.”

We applaud Columbia University’s decision to call the New York Police Department, law enforcement’s arrests of the perpetrators, and the acting president’s pledge to pursue disciplinary sanctions against all of those involved. Our colleges and universities must be places where all students can engage in open inquiry free of harassment, intimidation, and violence, and it is clear that these criminal behaviors will not stop until institutions and law enforcement impose proper sanctions.