Jason Kao, a former Bloomberg News graphics reporter and Columbia University alumnus, was arrested on May 7, 2025, during an anti-Israel, pro-Hamas protest that overtook Columbia’s Butler Library. The New York Police Department confirmed Kao faced charges of third-degree criminal trespassing. Following the incident, Bloomberg stated that Kao is no longer employed by the company, though it did not specify whether he resigned or was terminated.
The protest involved approximately 81 individuals who entered the library, disrupted students preparing for final exams, and caused property damage. Two university security officers sustained injuries during the unrest. Protesters distributed pamphlets supporting the Hamas terror organization and renamed the library after Basel al-Araj, a radical Palestinian militant implicated in the plotting of a terror attack targeting Israeli civilians who was killed in a 2017 confrontation with Israeli forces.
Kao, who graduated from Columbia in 2022, had previously worked at The New York Times and contributed to various news outlets. His personal website focused on critical coverage of Israel’s actions in Gaza. An NYPD spokesperson confirmed Kao’s arrest and charges, indicating his participation went beyond journalistic coverage.
The incident has intensified scrutiny over the involvement of media professionals in political activism, especially when it leads to legal consequences. It is one more in a growing trend of journalists across the globe who have engaged in illegal acts to demonstrate against Israel’s response to the unprovoked October 7 terror attacks, which left 1,200 Israelis dead.
