Maggie Gyllenhaal’s daughter arrested during pro-Palestine protest at Columbia

The daughter of Hollywood actors Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard was among several students arrested during a pro-Palestinian protest at Columbia University.

Eighteen-year-old Ramona Sarsgaard, a Columbia freshman, was taken into custody during Wednesday’s protest and charged with criminal trespassing, according to a New York Post report citing informed sources.

Sarsgaard’s arrest came as students took over part of Butler Library, transforming it into what they called the "Basel al-Araj People’s University"—named after a Palestinian activist. Demonstrators unfurled banners, handed out flyers calling for divestment from companies linked to the Israeli Occupation's genocide efforts, and chanted, “We have nothing to lose but our chains!”

University officials called the police, which resulted in several arrests. Columbia’s acting president, Claire Shipman, responded with a statement emphasizing that “disruptions to our academic activities will not be tolerated,” especially as students approach final exams.

Meanwhile, protest organizers criticized what they described as an aggressive crackdown: “We are facing one of the largest militarized police forces in the world. Deputized public safety officers have choked and beaten us, but we have not wavered … We will not be useless intellectuals. Palestine is our compass, and we stand strong in the face of violent repression.”

Adding to the controversy, four student journalists—covering the protest for Columbia Spectator and campus radio station WKCR—were temporarily suspended by Columbia and its affiliate Barnard College. The students reportedly identified themselves as the press but were still sanctioned under claims of participating in the occupation.

According to Columbia Spectator, suspensions were issued via email by university rules administrator Gregory Wawro and Barnard Dean Leslie Grinage, who wrote that their alleged actions “pose an ongoing threat of disruption.”

One of the suspensions was lifted within five hours. The remaining three were reversed by Friday morning.

These events come amid heightened scrutiny of campus activism across the US, as federal authorities continue to target student protesters. Among those impacted is Columbia student Mohsen Mahdawi, recently released after detention, while graduate Mahmoud Khalil remains in ICE custody in Louisiana.