Columbia University has suspended more than 65 students for their role in a pro-Palestine demonstration that forced the shutdown of the main campus library, a school official said on Friday, Reuters reported.

The students were placed on interim suspension and will be prohibited from taking their final exams or entering campus except to access their dormitories, the university official said.

Columbia also barred 33 other people from campus, including students from other colleges and alumni who took part in the protest, according to the official.

"When rules are violated and when our academic community is purposefully disrupted, that is a considered choice — one with real consequences," the Columbia official said.