Latest news with #studentprotests
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Columbia students involved in pro-Palestine protest banned from campus
Pro-Palestinian protesters who stormed Columbia University's library have been banned from campus. A source told The Telegraph that 56 or more of the 70 students involved in the incident would not be allowed to return. The bans will last for between one and three years, the New York Post said. All 70 students involved in the unrest were formally disciplined on Monday, it is understood. Some of them had their degrees revoked or were permanently expelled, according to a statement on the university's website. The incident took place in May, with masked and hooded protesters swarming the New York-based university's library and refusing to leave. At the time, authorities said 80 protesters were arrested with those involved facing up to three months in jail. Columbia alumni and students from other universities were among those detained. Two campus public safety officers were injured as the demonstrators forced their way into the Butler Library, where students were revising ahead of their final exams before the summer break. Protesters were demanding an amnesty for students facing disciplinary action after last summer's protests. They also demanded the release of activists facing deportation including Mahmoud Khalil, a green card holder, who was arrested and detained by ICE agents in March and flown to an immigration jail in Louisiana. Mr Khalil has since been released. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said those on student visas are facing deportation. Students involved in similar demonstrations have previously been suspended or had their degrees revoked. The university, one of the most prestigious in the US, called police after protesters refused to leave. The university took around five hours to call in the police report, according to Fox News. In spite of the delay, the Trump administration praised the university's acting president for meeting the moment 'with fortitude and conviction'. The move came in stark contrast to the university's handling of pro-Palestinian protests in the summer, when a pro-Gaza encampment remained in place for more than six weeks. The university is currently trying to come to an agreement with President Donald Trump and his team to restore government funding, after the president withheld $400m in federal grants. The money was kept back amid concerns by the White House over Columbia's handling of pro-Palestinian protests and anti-Israel sentiment on campus. 'Violations will generate consequences' In March, Columbia was accused by the Trump administration of 'continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students'. In a statement regarding the sanctioning of students involved in the library incident, a Columbia University spokesperson said: 'Immediately following the disruption at Butler Library during reading period, which affected hundreds of students attempting to study, the university began an investigation into rules violations, banned participating individuals from affiliated institutions and non-affiliates from campus, and placed Columbia participants on interim suspension... 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. 'Disruptions to academic activities are in violation of university policies and rules, and such violations will necessarily generate consequences. The speed with which our updated UJB system has offered an equitable resolution to the community and students involved is a testament to the hard work of this institution to improve its processes.'
CBS News
4 hours ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Columbia University disciplines students involved in Butler Library takeover
Columbia University is coming down hard on pro-Palestinian students who took part in a recent takeover of Butler Library and last year's tent encampment, the school announced on Tuesday. At least 70 were disciplined, with two-thirds receiving sanctions that resulted in expulsions, and suspensions lasting at least two years, sources told CBS News New York. In a lengthy statement, Columbia said, in part, that the sanctions were issued Tuesday by the University Judicial Board (UJB) after a panel of professors and administrators addressed the incident on a case-by-case basis. The school said it will not release any of the individual punishments, but said those stemming from the Butler Library incident include, "probation, suspensions, degree revocations, and expulsions." "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," Columbia added in the statement. "Disruptions to academic activities are in violation of University policies and Rules, and such violations will necessarily generate consequences. The speed with which our updated UJB system has offered an equitable resolution to the community and students involved is a testament to the hard work of this institution to improve its processes." Dozens of pro-Palestinian demonstrators vandalized Butler Library with "disturbing slogans" on May 7, the university said. Cellphone video showed protesters, many in masks, forcing their way inside, where they vandalized property and took over a reading room, as students were studying for finals. As the confrontation escalated inside, demonstrators also clashed with police on the outskirts of campus, pushing barricades and shutting down the block. At least 80 people were arrested, the NYPD said. At the time, Columbia Acting President Claire Shipman said administrators believed a significant portion of protesters were not affiliated with the university and that discipline of those that were would be in line with the severity of their actions. The university confirmed some students were suspended for their involvement. "Columbia unequivocally rejects antisemitism," Shipman said. "We will come together as a community to consider what civil disobedience actually is."
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Columbia University expels, suspends about 80 students in pro-Palestine Butler Library occupation
NEW YORK — Columbia University has expelled or issued lengthy suspensions to nearly 80 pro-Palestine students for the May occupation of Butler Library just days before final exams, a campus protest group announced Tuesday. The affected students, who are facing suspensions of between one and three years, learned of the sanctions Monday, according to Columbia University Apartheid Divest. As a condition of their return to campus, the protesters said they were asked to submit apologies — with some stating they will refuse. The Butler takeover was short lived, with the NYPD moving in quickly and making dozens of arrests. The group said they believed the disciplinary action was related to a reportedly forthcoming deal between Columbia and the Trump administration to restore hundreds of millions of dollars, mainly in federal research funding. It was not immediately clear how many of the students were expelled or what factors led to some protesters facing harsher discipline than others. A college official known as the 'rules administrator' confirmed in a statement that he 'issued findings and sanctions related to the disruption of Butler Library during [the] reading period in May 2025,' but did not offer any specifics. Columbia spokespeople did not immediately return a request for comment. The students had been on interim suspension pending further investigation and barred from campus for the last few months. 'We will not be deterred. We are committed to the struggle for Palestinian liberation,' Columbia University Apartheid Divest said in a statement.
Fox News
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Columbia University disciplines 70 students more than a year after violent library takeover
Columbia University on Monday finally disciplined more than 70 students for their involvement in unruly pro-Palestine demonstrations that took place on campus several months ago, sources revealed to Fox News Tuesday. The "disruptions," which Columbia also referred to as "high-volume events," included the May 7 riots at Butler Library, an encampment during Alumni Weekend in spring 2024, and three other chaotic events in spring 2024. Fox News learned two-thirds of the more than 70 students were expelled or suspended, according to sources. The decision marks the first since the university judicial board was moved under the provost's office, a change mandated by the White House after the Joint Task Force to Combat Antisemitism launched its probe into the Ivy League school. School officials claimed that "immediately following the disruption" at Butler Library during reading period, which affected hundreds of students attempting to study, the university began an investigation into rules violations, banned participating individuals from affiliated institutions and non-affiliates from campus, and placed Columbia participants on interim suspension. "The University Judicial Board held hearings, in which respondents had an opportunity to be heard and make their case, and then determined findings and issued sanctions approximately 10 weeks following the incident," Columbia University wrote in a statement. The sanctions, issued July 21 by the university judicial board, were determined by a UJB panel of professors and administrators over the summer. While the university does not release individual disciplinary results of any student, it said the sanctions from the Butler Library riot include probation, suspensions (ranging from one year to three years), degree revocations and expulsions. "Over the past year, the University has worked to strengthen and clarify the disciplinary process for our community and devoted significant resources to the Rules Administration, including the development of an Office of Rules Administration, and situating the University Judicial Board and Rules process and the interpretation and modification of the Rules in the Office of the Provost," the university wrote in a statement. "These structural reforms are currently in place … have helped to provide that the University's Rules are applied and enforced fairly, consistently, and effectively, and that the Rules process operates more expeditiously." Fox News Digital reported Israeli Columbia University professor Shai Davidai left the school earlier this month, citing ongoing frustration with anti-Israel protests on campus. An unfounded investigation claimed he "repeatedly harassed and intimidated" students during an Oct. 7 anniversary protest in 2024, prompting his suspension. The administration also allegedly banned him from the school's main campus in April 2024 after he coordinated a pro-Israel demonstration against anti-Israel protesters. Columbia leadership emphasized "respect for each other," noting disruptions to academic activities are in violation of university policies and rules. "Such violations will necessarily generate consequences," the school wrote. "The speed with which our updated UJB system has offered an equitable resolution to the community and students involved is a testament to the hard work of this institution to improve its processes."
Reuters
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Students protest in Bangladesh after air force jet crash kills 31, mostly children
DHAKA, July 22 (Reuters) - National mourning turned to anger in Bangladesh on Tuesday as the death toll from a fighter jet crash into a school in Dhaka jumped to 31, sparking protests by hundreds of students against the interim government in a country gripped by instability. At least 25 of the dead were children, many under the age of 12, who were about to return home on Monday when the Chinese-manufactured F-7 BGI Bangladesh Air Force jet ploughed into Milestone School and College and burst into flames, trapping pupils in the fire and building debris. Their fellow students and others from nearby schools protested as two government officials visited the crash site, demanding justice and shouting, "Why did our brothers die? We demand answers!" Elsewhere in the capital, hundreds of protesting students, some of them waving sticks, broke through the main gate of the federal government secretariat, demanding the resignation of the education adviser, local TV footage showed. Police baton charged them and forced them out. Rescue workers continued to scour the charred buildings for debris on Tuesday as distressed residents of the area looked on. Some parents were inconsolable. "I took her to school yesterday morning like every day. I had no idea it would be the last time I would be seeing her," said Abul Hossain, breaking down as he spoke about his nine-year-old daughter, Nusrat Jahan Anika, killed in the crash. She was buried on Monday night. Rubina Akter said her son Raiyan Toufiq had a miraculous escape after his shirt caught fire when he was on a staircase. "He sprinted to the ground floor and jumped on the grass to douse it," she said. "He tore his shirt and vest inside which saved him from severe burns." The jet had taken off from a nearby air base on a routine training mission, the military said, adding the plane experienced a mechanical failure and the pilot was among those killed. Although he tried to divert the aircraft away from populated areas, the jet crashed into the campus. On Tuesday, the military said in a statement that 31 people had died and 165 had been admitted to hospitals in the city. The health ministry later said 70 were still under treatment. The government announced a day of mourning, with flags at half-mast and special prayers at all places of worship. The protesting students called for those killed and injured to be named, for air force compensation to the families of those killed, the decommissioning of what they said were old and risky jets, and a changing of air force training procedures. A statement from the press office of Muhammad Yunus, the country's interim administrator, said that the government, the military, school and hospital authorities were working together to publish a list of victims. It also said the air force will be instructed to not operate training aircraft in populated areas. The F-7 BGI is the final and most advanced variant in China's Chengdu J-7/F-7 aircraft family, according to Jane's Information Group. Bangladesh signed a contract for 16 aircraft in 2011 and deliveries were completed by 2013. The Chengdu F-7 is the licence-built version of the Soviet era MiG-21. The incident comes as neighbour India is still grappling with the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade after an Air India plane crashed into a medical college hostel in Ahmedabad last month, killing 241 of the 242 people on board and 19 on the ground. Bangladesh has faced months of political uncertainty after then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was forced to flee the country last August following weeks of deadly student protests. The interim government of Nobel laureate Yunus has promised to hold elections next year amid mounting demands from political parties to advance them.
