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Middle East Eye
5 days ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Columbia University suspends or expels almost 80 students for pro-Palestine protest
Columbia University announced new sanctions against student activists on Tuesday, suspending or expelling dozens of students for their participation in pro-Palestine protests. The suspensions will last between one and three years and will require students to write an apology letter if they wish to return to the university. The disciplinary proceedings primarily targeted students involved in the takeover of Butler Library to host a teach-in honouring the Palestinian writer Basel al-Araj, who was killed by Israeli forces in 2017. Protesters renamed the library 'the Basel al-Araj Popular University'. 'The sanctions issued on July 21 by the University Judicial Board were determined by a UJB panel of professors and administrators who worked diligently over the summer to offer an outcome for each individual based on the findings of their case and prior disciplinary outcomes,' Columbia wrote in a statement. Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) said in a statement: 'Once Barnard joins Columbia in announcing charges, these will be the most suspensions for a single political protest in Columbia campus history and hugely exceed sentencing precedent for teach-ins or non-Palestine-related building occupations.' Barnard is a Columbia University affiliate. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters CUAD alleged that Columbia president Claire Shipman modified disciplinary proceedings to crack down on student protesters. '[Shipman] illegally restructured the University Judicial Board (UJB) and removed student members and faculty oversight to pursue exceptionally harsh sanctions against its own students,' CUAD said in a statement. Pro-Palestine protests at Columbia and other universities have come to the forefront since the beginning of Israel's war on Gaza, which several countries, as well as many international rights groups and experts, now say qualify as an act of genocide. More than 100 Palestinians in Gaza, including at least 80 children, have starved to death as a result of Israel's siege, and more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed at aid distribution sites since March. Police on campus Students have condemned Columbia's collaboration with the New York Police Department (NYPD) and Trump administration officials. During the takeover of Butler Library, Columbia invited NYPD officials on to campus, who ultimately arrested 78 demonstrators. Columbia claimed the NYPD's presence was necessary to 'assist in securing the building and the safety of our community'. Georgetown University professor placed on leave over misrepresented X post Read More » But four students were hospitalised with concussions due to NYPD brutality during the protest, according to CUAD. One of the arrested students reported being 'choked and going in and out of consciousness after the arrest. One of [the police officers] kept trying to gouge my eyes. They slammed my head into the floor multiple times.' CUAD alleged that the disciplinary sanctions were a result of talks between Columbia and the Trump administration to restore $400 million in cancelled federal funding. They listed Columbia's adoption of a definition of antisemitism that considers Zionism a protected class and a new partnership with the pro-Israel Anti-Defamation League as similar concessions. Columbia's press office did not respond to a request for clarification. Student activists say they will continue to organise undeterred by disciplinary proceedings. According to one student quoted on CUAD's Substack, 'if this hearing was meant to isolate or shame, it has done the opposite. It has made us more clear: no sanction handed down here can expel principle. Basel al-Araj wrote: 'Join them, and don't betray the question.' We have joined, and we will not betray the question."
Al Jazeera
5 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Why is Columbia University expelling pro-Palestine students?
The United States's prestigious Columbia University has punished nearly 80 students who took part in protests against Israel's war on Gaza with expulsions, one-to-three-year suspensions, and degree revocations. The University's Judicial Board stated on Tuesday that it had completed disciplinary hearings for the May 7, 2025, Butler Library demonstration on its campus and the May 31, 2024, 'Revolt for Rafah' encampment during the university's annual alumni weekend. In 2024, pro-Palestinian student encampments at Columbia University became a flashpoint for a global wave of campus protests against Israel's war in Gaza. The movement drew national attention before university administrators called NYPD officers to dismantle the camps, resulting in dozens of arrests. 'Suspension from Columbia for protesting genocide is the highest honour,' said Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), an umbrella coalition of student groups, in a post on X. 'We reject that Columbia has any reputation worth upholding and we categorically state that we do not wish to uphold it,' the student body said. So, why has Columbia expelled these students? And why has the Trump administration clamped down on universities? What has happened? Columbia University has disciplined nearly 80 students for their participation in pro-Palestinian protests – to 'separate them from the University'. The disciplinary action follows a series of demonstrations on campus, including a student-led occupation of Butler Library during final exams on May 7 earlier this year. The NYPD arrested 78 individuals that day. The protests are part of a call for the university to divest from companies linked to the Israeli military, cut all financial ties with Israel, and express solidarity with Palestinians amid the continuing war in Gaza. According to student organisers, the suspended students took part in a 'peaceful teach-in' which included readings and discussions about Palestinian writer and activist Basil al-Araj, killed by Israeli forces in 2017. The mass disciplinary action, described as the biggest of its kind in Columbia's history, has sparked backlash from civil liberties groups and fellow students. Organisers argue the crackdown is part of a broader effort to suppress pro-Palestinian activism on US campuses and have linked it to a pending agreement between Columbia and Trump administration officials. The University's student newspaper, Columbia Spectator, reported that the majority of students received a two-year suspension. The students have reportedly been asked to apologise to the university before they can be allowed to return to campus. Earlier this year, the Trump administration announced it would withhold approximately $400m in funding for Columbia University, citing the institution's alleged failure to adequately address anti-Semitism amid pro-Palestinian protests on campus. That move prompted Columbia to concede to a list of demands laid down by the government in return for negotiations to reinstate its funding. Among other concessions, the university agreed to ban face masks and to empower 36 campus police officers with special powers to arrest students. What has Columbia said? In a statement published on Tuesday, the University stated that the disruption at Butler Library during reading period had affected hundreds of students and subsequently led to the interim suspension of Columbia participants. The University said sanctions would include probation, suspensions ranging from one year to three years, degree revocations, and expulsions. It did not state how many faced each of these sanctions, nor did it reveal any of the students' identities, citing student privacy. 'Our institution must focus on delivering on its academic mission for our community. And to create a thriving academic community, there must be respect for each other and the institution's fundamental work, policies, and rules,' the statement noted. 'Disruptions to academic activities are in violation of University policies and Rules, and such violations will necessarily generate consequences.' How have students responded? News of the suspensions and expulsions came on the same day that Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University protest leader targeted for deportation by President Donald Trump, met with lawmakers in Washington, DC, just over a month after the 30-year-old, a legal permanent resident of the United States, was released from immigration custody in Louisiana. Khalil continues to face deportation under the Trump administration, which has relied on an obscure provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 in its attempts to expel international students involved in pro-Palestinian advocacy. In response to the suspensions and expulsion announced by Columbia on Tuesday, the student activist group Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), an umbrella coalition of student groups, noted that while 'the US and Israel starve 2.1 million Gazans to death, Columbia has worked diligently with [Trump's administration] to suspend dozens of students for pro-Palestine activism'. The group noted the suspensions were the highest ever for a single political protest in Columbia's history and 'hugely exceed sentencing precedent for teach-ins or non-Palestine-related building occupations'. 'Students remain committed to ending US- and Columbia-backed Israeli genocide regardless of the school's sanctions,' the student body said in its statement. Quoting a testimony from students' July disciplinary hearings, the group reiterated: 'Every university in Gaza has been destroyed. Hundreds of academics have been killed. Books and archives have been incinerated. Entire families have been erased from the civil registry. This is not a war. It is a campaign of erasure.' 'We will not be deterred. We are committed to the struggle for Palestinian liberation,' the statement quoted students in conclusion. Why has Trump clamped down on universities? The antiwar protests against Israel's war on Gaza, which spread across US university campuses from Columbia and UCLA to Harvard, last year have drawn comparisons with the anti-Vietnam War era, when student activism directly challenged US foreign policy. Trump has capitalised on this by painting students as part of a left-wing, anti-Semitic revolt and clamping down on universities, particularly 'elite' institutions. The administration argues that universities have failed to protect Jewish students from harassment and violence during demonstrations, citing incidents of encampments and chants deemed anti-Semitic. Since early 2025, the administration has targeted more than 50 universities, including Columbia, with investigations by the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights. This has been coupled with executive orders and actions, such as freezing billions in federal research grants and threatening to revoke tax-exempt status or accreditation, as seen in demands placed on Harvard and Columbia. Harvard's rejection of demands that its programmes be audited for 'ideological capture' led to billions of dollars in federal funding being frozen. The administration also threatened to bar international students from Harvard, citing 'national security' and high campus crime rates, which underscores the White House's chokehold over the universities. Harvard has sued the administration and secured a federal judge's temporary block on the order to bar international students. The policies under the Trump administration also reflect its general opposition to perceived liberal biases in higher education, as it aims to dismantle 'woke' culture and promote conservative values. It has also targeted diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programmes operated by universities and other workplaces, accusing them of promoting division and 'reverse discrimination'.
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Columbia suspends, expels 80 students for participating in Gaza protests, university says ‘such violations will…'
Columbia University has taken strong action against students who joined protests against Israel's war in Gaza. The school has expelled some students, suspended others, and even revoked academic degrees. Columbia University has expelled some students, suspended others, and even revoked academic degrees.(AP) According to the student group Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), around 80 students have now been punished. Some were expelled, and others were suspended for as long as three years. CUAD has been calling on Columbia to cut all financial ties with Israel, according to Al Jazeera report. Also Read: Israeli forces open fire on hundreds of starving Palestinians waiting for aid in Gaza, hospitals say; 25 dead Punished for protests at Butler Library In a statement on Tuesday, Columbia said the latest punishments are related to protests at Butler Library in May 2025 and an encampment during Alumni Weekend in spring 2024. The university said, 'Disruptions to academic activities are in violation of University policies and rules, and such violations will necessarily generate consequences.' CUAD said Columbia's actions go far beyond what's been done in past campus protests. The group said, 'We will not be deterred. We are committed to the struggle for Palestinian liberation.' Student encampments at Columbia in 2024 drew national and global attention. The protests were eventually shut down after the university let hundreds of NYPD officers onto campus, leading to many arrests. Despite that, student protesters took over Butler Library again during final exams in May. They called for the university to stop investing in companies tied to the Israeli military and showed support for Palestinians in Gaza. Columbia's Judicial Board said expulsions, suspensions, and revoked degrees were handed out for disrupting the campus during that time. The university didn't say how many were expelled but said this was 'the final set of findings from that period.' Columbia is also trying to get back $400 million in federal funding. The Trump administration cut the funds, saying the university didn't do enough to protect Jewish students from harassment. Claire Shipman, Columbia's acting president and a former trustee, was booed by students during the May graduation ceremony because of her role in punishing the pro-Palestinian protests. Also Read: History sheeter charged with arson for setting NYC police vehicles on fire at Pro-Palestinian protests Harvard University also faced threats of funding cuts Meanwhile, Harvard University, which also faced threats of funding cuts, has taken the Trump administration to court over it. The disciplinary actions at Columbia came the same day reports from Gaza said at least 15 people, including a six-week-old baby, died from hunger and malnutrition in a single day, according to local health officials. Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia protest leader who was detained by immigration officials, met with lawmakers in Washington, DC, on Tuesday. He had recently been released from a Louisiana detention center. The Trump administration has said it plans to deport pro-Palestinian activists.
Mint
5 days ago
- Politics
- Mint
Columbia University's disciplinary action: Nearly 80 students expelled for taking part in pro-Palestinian protests
Columbia University took disciplinary action on Tuesday against many students who participated in the campus protests inside the Ivy League school's primary library prior to final exams in May and an encampment during alumni weekend last year. According to a student activist group, nearly 80 students were informed they have been expelled for one to three years. In a statement, Columbia University mentioned that the sanctions imposed by its judicial board also consist of probation for some and the revocation of degrees for those graduated recently. Most of the students who were disciplined had participated in the pro-Palestinian protest, specifically taking over Butler Library. The new University Judicial Board, which was moved to the provost's office in March, has issued its first disciplinary actions. Previously, the UJB operated under the University Senate, a body composed of faculty members and students, and it had drawn criticism from the Trump administration for being seen as too lenient toward protesters. A Columbia spokesperson stated the timing of these actions is linked to the updated procedure rather than ongoing discussions with the government. The school announced this month that it will adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of antisemitism. It also committed to appointing coordinators responsible for responding to and reporting civil rights violation complaints. Furthermore, the school plans to work with Jewish organisations to conduct compulsory anti-discrimination training sessions. The university would not 'recognize or meet with' CUAD, a union of pro-Palestinian student groups behind the campus demonstrations, or its associates, Columbia Acting President Claire Shipman stated, as per a Bloomberg report. She added, 'Organizations that promote violence or encourage disruptions of our academic mission are not welcome on our campuses and the University will not engage with them,' she said in a statement July 15.' CUAD, which urges for the school to slash all financial links with Israel, said the library-related sanctions 'hugely exceed precedent for teach-ins or non-Palestine-related building occupations', AFP reported. It further said, 'We will not be deterred. We are committed to the struggle for Palestinian liberation." (With inputs from Bloomberg, AP and AFP)
Al Jazeera
6 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Columbia University suspends, expels nearly 80 students over Gaza protests
Columbia University in the United States has imposed severe punishments, including expulsion, suspension from courses and revocation of academic degrees, on dozens of students who participated in protests against Israel's war on Gaza. The student activist group Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), which has called for the school to cut all financial ties with Israel, said in a statement that nearly 80 students have now been either expelled or suspended for up to three years over their involvement in antiwar protests. On Tuesday, Columbia said in a statement that its latest punishment of students relates to 'disruption of Butler Library in May 2025 and the encampment during Alumni Weekend in spring 2024″. 'Disruptions to academic activities are in violation of University policies and rules, and such violations will necessarily generate consequences,' the university wrote. The CUAD group said the university's sanctions on students 'hugely exceed precedent for teach-ins or non-Palestine-related building occupations'. 'We will not be deterred. We are committed to the struggle for Palestinian liberation,' the group added. The pro-Palestinian student encampments at Columbia University in 2024 helped ignite a global movement against Israel's unrelenting war on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The protest sites were eventually broken up when Columbia University allowed hundreds of New York City police officers on campus, leading to dozens of arrests. Despite the university's harsh crackdowns, student protesters occupied the Butler Library during final exams in May this year, demanding divestment from companies linked to the Israeli military and expressing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Columbia University's Judicial Board confirmed it issued expulsions, suspensions and degree revocations after what it called a disruption during 'reading period'. It did not say how many students were expelled but said that this was 'the final set of findings from that period'. The Ivy League university is in negotiations with US President Donald Trump's administration to restore some $400m in federal funding. The Trump administration cut funds to the New York City-based institution over what it claimed were failures to 'meaningfully protect Jewish students against severe and pervasive harassment'. Columbia's acting president, Claire Shipman, a former trustee, was booed by students during a May graduation ceremony for her role in cracking down on pro-Palestinian protests. Fellow Ivy League institution Harvard University, which has also been targeted with billions in funding cuts by the government, has pushed back against pressure to change its policies by taking the Trump administration to court. The latest disciplinary measures announced by Columbia against students came on Tuesday as Israel's siege on the Gaza Strip continued to cause widespread starvation, with at least 15 people, including a six-week-old baby, dying from hunger and malnutrition within a 24-hour period, according to health officials. Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University protest leader targeted for deportation by the Trump administration, met with lawmakers in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, more than a month after he was released from immigration custody in Louisiana, where he was being held amid a pledge by the US president to deport pro-Palestinian activists.
