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Columbia University Suspends and Expels Students Who Participated in Pro-Palestinian Protests
Columbia University Suspends and Expels Students Who Participated in Pro-Palestinian Protests

Asharq Al-Awsat

time23-07-2025

  • Politics
  • Asharq Al-Awsat

Columbia University Suspends and Expels Students Who Participated in Pro-Palestinian Protests

Columbia University announced disciplinary action Tuesday against students who participated in a pro-Palestinian demonstration inside the Ivy League school's main library before final exams in May and an encampment during alumni weekend last year. A student activist group said nearly 80 students were told they have been suspended for one to three years or expelled. The sanctions issued by a university judicial board also include probation and degree revocations, Columbia said in a statement. The action comes as the Manhattan university is negotiating with President Donald Trump's administration to restore $400 million in federal funding it has withheld from the Ivy League school over its handling of student protests against the war in Gaza. The administration pulled the funding, canceling grants and contracts, in March because of what it described as the university's failure to squelch antisemitism on campus during the Israel-Hamas war that began in October 2023. Columbia has since agreed to a series of demands laid out by the Republican administration, including overhauling the university's student disciplinary process and adopting a new definition of antisemitism. 'Our institution must focus on delivering on its academic mission for our community,' the university said Tuesday. 'And to create a thriving academic community, there must be respect for each other and the institution's fundamental work, policies, and rules. Disruptions to academic activities are in violation of University policies and Rules, and such violations will necessarily generate consequences.' It did not disclose the names of the students who were disciplined. Columbia in May said it would lay off nearly 180 staffers and scale back research in response to the loss of funding. Those receiving nonrenewal or termination notices represent about 20% of the employees funded in some manner by the terminated federal grants, the university said. A student activist group said the newly announced disciplinary action exceeds sentencing precedent for prior protests. Suspended students would be required to submit apologies in order to be allowed back on campus or face expulsion, the group said, something some students will refuse to do. 'We will not be deterred. We are committed to the struggle for Palestinian liberation,' Columbia University Apartheid Divest said in a statement. Columbia was at the forefront of US campus protests over the war in spring 2024. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators set up an encampment and seized a campus building in April, leading to dozens of arrests and inspiring a wave of similar protests nationally. Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has cut funding to several top US universities he viewed as too tolerant of antisemitism. The administration has also cracked down on individual student protesters. Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, a legal US resident with no criminal record, was detained in March over his participation in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. He is now suing the Trump administration, alleging he was falsely imprisoned, maliciously prosecuted and smeared as an antisemite.

Columbia University suspends, expels students who participated in pro-Palestine protests
Columbia University suspends, expels students who participated in pro-Palestine protests

Arab News

time23-07-2025

  • Politics
  • Arab News

Columbia University suspends, expels students who participated in pro-Palestine protests

NEW YORK: Columbia University announced disciplinary action Tuesday against students who participated in a pro-Palestinian demonstration inside the Ivy League school's main library before final exams in May and an encampment during alumni weekend last year. A student activist group said nearly 80 students were told they have been suspended for one to three years or expelled. The sanctions issued by a university judicial board also include probation and degree revocations, Columbia said in a statement. The action comes as the Manhattan university is negotiating with President Donald Trump's administration to restore $400 million in federal funding it has withheld from the Ivy League school over its handling of student protests against the war in Gaza. The administration pulled the funding, canceling grants and contracts, in March because of what it described as the university's failure to squelch antisemitism on campus during the Israel-Hamas war that began in October 2023. Columbia has since agreed to a series of demands laid out by the Republican administration, including overhauling the university's student disciplinary process and adopting a new definition of antisemitism. 'Our institution must focus on delivering on its academic mission for our community,' the university said Tuesday. 'And to create a thriving academic community, there must be respect for each other and the institution's fundamental work, policies, and rules. Disruptions to academic activities are in violation of University policies and Rules, and such violations will necessarily generate consequences.' It did not disclose the names of the students who were disciplined. Columbia in May said it would lay off nearly 180 staffers and scale back research in response to the loss of funding. Those receiving nonrenewal or termination notices represent about 20 percent of the employees funded in some manner by the terminated federal grants, the university said. A student activist group said the newly announced disciplinary action exceeds sentencing precedent for prior protests. Suspended students would be required to submit apologies in order to be allowed back on campus or face expulsion, the group said, something some students will refuse to do. 'We will not be deterred. We are committed to the struggle for Palestinian liberation,' Columbia University Apartheid Divest said in a statement. Columbia was at the forefront of US campus protests over the war in spring 2024. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators set up an encampment and seized a campus building in April, leading to dozens of arrests and inspiring a wave of similar protests nationally. Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has cut funding to several top US universities he viewed as too tolerant of antisemitism. The administration has also cracked down on individual student protesters. Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, a legal US resident with no criminal record, was detained in March over his participation in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. He is now suing the Trump administration, alleging he was falsely imprisoned, maliciously prosecuted and smeared as an antisemite.

Columbia University says it has suspended and expelled students who participated in protests
Columbia University says it has suspended and expelled students who participated in protests

Associated Press

time22-07-2025

  • Politics
  • Associated Press

Columbia University says it has suspended and expelled students who participated in protests

NEW YORK (AP) — Columbia University announced disciplinary action Tuesday against students who participated in a pro-Palestinian demonstration inside the Ivy League school's main library before final exams in May and an encampment during alumni weekend last year. A student activist group said nearly 80 students were told they have been suspended for one to three years or expelled. The sanctions issued by a university judicial board also include probation and degree revocations, Columbia said in a statement. The action comes as the Manhattan university is negotiating with President Donald Trump's administration to restore $400 million in federal funding it has withheld from the Ivy League school over its handling of student protests against the war in Gaza. The administration pulled the funding, canceling grants and contracts, in March because of what it described as the university's failure to squelch antisemitism on campus during the Israel-Hamas war that began in October 2023. Columbia has since agreed to a series of demands laid out by the Republican administration, including overhauling the university's student disciplinary process and adopting a new definition of antisemitism. 'Our institution must focus on delivering on its academic mission for our community,' the university said Tuesday. 'And to create a thriving academic community, there must be respect for each other and the institution's fundamental work, policies, and rules. Disruptions to academic activities are in violation of University policies and Rules, and such violations will necessarily generate consequences.' It did not disclose the names of the students who were disciplined. Columbia in May said it would lay off nearly 180 staffers and scale back research in response to the loss of funding. Those receiving nonrenewal or termination notices represent about 20% of the employees funded in some manner by the terminated federal grants, the university said. A student activist group said the newly announced disciplinary action exceeds sentencing precedent for prior protests. Suspended students would be required to submit apologies in order to be allowed back on campus or face expulsion, the group said, something some students will refuse to do. 'We will not be deterred. We are committed to the struggle for Palestinian liberation,' Columbia University Apartheid Divest said in a statement. Columbia was at the forefront of U.S. campus protests over the war in spring 2024. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators set up an encampment and seized a campus building in April, leading to dozens of arrests and inspiring a wave of similar protests nationally. Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has cut funding to several top U.S. universities he viewed as too tolerant of antisemitism. The administration has also cracked down on individual student protesters. Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, a legal U.S. resident with no criminal record, was detained in March over his participation in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. He is now suing the Trump administration, alleging he was falsely imprisoned, maliciously prosecuted and smeared as an antisemite.

English universities barred from enforcing blanket bans on student protests
English universities barred from enforcing blanket bans on student protests

The Guardian

time18-06-2025

  • Politics
  • The Guardian

English universities barred from enforcing blanket bans on student protests

Universities in England will no longer be able to enforce blanket bans on student protests under sweeping new guidance that urges a 'very strong' approach to permitting lawful speech on campus. The detailed regulations set out for the first time how universities should deal with inflammatory disputes, such as those between the University of Cambridge and students over the war in Gaza, and rows over academics who hold controversial but legal opinions, such as the gender-critical professor Kathleen Stock. The guidance issued by the Office for Students (OfS) will make it harder for universities to penalise students and staff for anything other than unlawful speech or harassment. But experts said the guidance failed to address the complexity of balancing free speech with activities that have 'chilling effects' on students or staff. Universities are advised not to apply prolonged bans on protest encampments involving the Israel-Gaza conflict – as used by the University of Cambridge earlier this year – but will also be required to block 'frequent, vociferous and intrusive' protests if they intimidate Jewish students. The guidance also says: Academics should not be pressed to support particular views. Protests should not be restricted for supporting legal viewpoints. Students or staff should not be 'encouraged to report others' for lawful speech. Universities must 'secure freedom of speech' for visiting speakers. The OfS said its guidelines would help universities 'navigate' their duties under the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act, which is due to come into force in August. Julian Sladdin, a partner at the law firm Pinsent Masons and a specialist in higher education regulation, said the guidance gave some 'much-needed clarity' for providers but left others unclear. 'The difficulty which remains in practical terms is the fact that institutions are still subject to dealing day-to-day with extremely complex and often polarising issues on campus and where the bounds of what may be lawful free speech are constantly being tested,' Sladdin said. 'These matters do not appear to be sufficiently addressed by the guidance at present. 'This still leaves institutions with the need to put in place their own procedures to assess these questions, and [assess] how any risks can be addressed by reasonable and practicable steps given the multifaceted and fact-sensitive nature of free speech issues and the considerable time pressure often involved in managing the same – particularly in a period where we have increasingly seen protest and occupations across UK higher education.' Universities will also expect staff and students to legally use social media in a personal capacity, without regard to any impact on institutional reputation, while reprimanding staff members whose speech or activities interferes with their teaching. Earlier this year the OfS imposed a £585,000 fine on the University of Sussex, saying it 'failed to uphold freedom of speech and academic freedom' affecting Kathleen Stock, a philosophy professor targeted by protests for her views on gender identification and transgender rights. The OfS published a survey of academics in which 21% said they did not feel free to discuss 'challenging' ideas in their teaching, including 19% who identified as leftwing and 32% as rightwing. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Prof Bobby Duffy, the director of the Policy Institute at King's College London, said: 'The reality is it's really tough to have completely clear regulations and laws in this space, which means that the testing of thresholds will be key in particular cases. 'We need to recognise that this is not a neutral space but is linked to more general 'culture war' divisions in society as a whole – which means that people will be motivated to use regulatory and legal routes to make a point – the process itself can be used to divide. 'There's no way around that but we do need to be aware of it.' Arif Ahmed, the OfS's director for freedom of speech, said: 'It's important to remember that universities can regulate speech where appropriate. 'No university needs to allow shouting during an exam, or for a maths lecturer to devote their lectures to their own political opinions rather than the subject at hand. 'Equally, they can and should take steps to address harassing speech on campus. Antisemitic harassment, for example, should not be tolerated on any campus and we fully expect universities to take robust steps to tackle it.' The OfS guidance also suggests that universities refuse places to international students whose funding requires them to follow the policies of foreign governments, potentially threatening state-sponsored students from a number of Asian and Middle Eastern countries. A spokesperson for Universities UK said: 'We strongly agree that universities must be places where free speech is protected and promoted. 'These guidelines cover complex issues, and we are pleased to see that the OfS has taken onboard some of the feedback from the previous version. 'We will continue to work constructively with the OfS and with government as these changes are introduced, and will make sure universities are appropriately supported to comply with them.'

Australian deported from US says he was ‘targeted' due to writing on pro-Palestine student protests
Australian deported from US says he was ‘targeted' due to writing on pro-Palestine student protests

The Guardian

time15-06-2025

  • Politics
  • The Guardian

Australian deported from US says he was ‘targeted' due to writing on pro-Palestine student protests

An Australian man who was detained upon arrival at Los Angeles airport and deported back to Melbourne says United States border officials told him it was due to his writing on pro-Palestine protests by university students. Alistair Kitchen said he left Melbourne on Thursday bound for New York and was detained for 12 hours and interrogated by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials during the stopover in Los Angeles. The 33-year-old said he was 'clearly targeted for politically motivated reasons' and said officials spent more than 30 minutes questioning him about his views on Israel and Palestine including his 'thoughts on Hamas'. Kitchen said officials asked him for his 'thoughts about the conflict in a very broad sense', including about student protesters, what Israel 'should have done differently' and 'how I would resolve the conflict'. 'It was quite an in-depth probing of my views on the war,' he said. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Kitchen said he was deported and landed back in Melbourne on Saturday morning. 'The CBP explicitly said to me, the reason you have been detained is because of your writing on the Columbia student protests,' he told Guardian Australia on Sunday. The US Department of Homeland Security has been contacted for comment. Kitchen said he lived in New York for six years and wrote about the protests staged in support of Gaza at Columbia University while he was a master's student at the college, before he moved back to Australia in 2024. 'Because I was a creative writing student, I took the opportunity to witness the protests and wrote about them in depth on my personal blog,' he said. This year, Kitchen published a piece on his blog, Kitchen Counter, on the Department of Homeland Security's detention of Mahmoud Khalil, the lead negotiator of the Columbia Gaza Solidarity Encampment. In the article, Kitchen said Khalil had been arrested 'on utterly specious grounds by a neo-fascist state' with the goal of 'the deportation of dissent'. He referred to the Trump administration's executive order of 30 January in which the government promised to go on the 'offense to enforce law and order' and 'cancel the student visas of all Hamas sympathizers on college campuses'. Kitchen, who was planning to return to New York for two weeks to visit friends, said he deleted 'sensitive political posts' from his blog as well as 'some social media' because he was aware of the increased risk of crossing the US border. However, he believed US border officials had used technology to link his posts to his application for a Electronic System for Travel Authorization (Esta), which allows eligible visitors to make a short trip to the US without a visa. He said he was called for over the intercom shortly after exiting the plane at Los Angeles international airpot and 'taken into a back room' for secondary processing 'Clearly, they had technology in their system which linked those posts to my Esta … a long time before I took them down,' he said. 'Because they knew all about the posts, and then interrogated me about the posts once I was there.' Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion Kitchen said he wanted other Australians to be aware that 'cleaning' their phones wouldn't necessarily mean they would be able to get their Esta approved upon arrival in the US. 'They had already prepared a file on me and already knew everything about me,' he said. Kitchen said he agreed to give officials the passcode for his phone, which he now regretted. 'I had at that time, the wrong and false hope that once they realised I was, you know, just a Australian writer and not a threat to the US that they would let me in,' he said. 'But then they took my phone away and began downloading it and searching it.' Kitchen said he was 'terrified of retribution and reprisal from the US government' for speaking out about his experience but he wanted people to know what had happened. He urged other Australians who were detained upon arrival into the US to accept 'immediate deportation' instead of handing their phones over the border officials. He said he had put the 'offending posts' back online on his blog. Kitchen said his phone and passport were handed to a Qantas flight attendant at the start of his deportation flight and he was unable to get them back until they landed in Melbourne. Qantas confirmed that its staff received a sealed envelope from US customs officials containing the passenger's personal items which was returned upon arrival in Australia. The airline declined to comment further.

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