Columbia University Punishes Dozens of Students for Pro-Palestinian Protest

(Patria) - Columbia University announced on Tuesday that it is disciplining dozens of pro-Palestinian student protesters who occupied part of the school's main library during demonstrations in early May that led to multiple arrests, Reuters reported.

Following the protests, the university launched an investigation into policy violations, banned participants from campus, and temporarily suspended them, the university said. Final decisions were made yesterday.

Columbia stated in a release that sanctions include probation, suspensions ranging from one to three years, degree revocation, and expulsions. It did not specify penalties for individuals.

"Disruptions to academic activities are a violation of university policies and rules, and such violations will necessarily generate consequences," the university said in a statement announcing the measures.

President Donald Trump has targeted universities, including Columbia, since returning to the White House over the pro-Palestinian student protest movement that swept campuses last year.

Columbia for Palestine, a pro-Palestinian group at the university, said on Tuesday that
eighty students were notified of their penalties on Monday. It stated that the disciplinary actions mark "the most suspensions for a single political protest in Columbia campus history" and exceed previous disciplinary measures announced against individuals for other protests.

In March, the Trump administration announced it was penalizing the university for its handling of last year's pro-Palestinian protests by canceling hundreds of millions of dollars in research grants. It claimed Columbia's response to alleged antisemitism and harassment of Jewish and Israeli members of the university community was insufficient.

After the government announced the funding cancellation, the university announced a series of activities in response to the administration's concerns.

"We support freedom of speech," the university stated at the time.

"But demonstrations and other protest activities taking place inside academic buildings and places where academic activities occur represent a direct impediment to the conduct of our core academic mission."

Protesters, including some Jewish groups, say the Trump administration has wrongly conflated their criticism of Israel's military assault in Gaza with antisemitism and their advocacy for Palestinian rights with support for extremism.

Israel's military campaign in Gaza followed a deadly October 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas, the organization that governed Gaza.

Last week, Columbia adopted a controversial definition of antisemitism that equates it with opposition to Zionism. The school also announced it would no longer engage with the pro-Palestinian group Columbia University Apartheid Divest.

The government has attempted to leverage federal funding influence on other educational institutions, including Harvard University, during campus protests. It has also attempted to deport some foreign pro-Palestinian students but has faced legal obstacles.

Human rights advocates have expressed concerns about due process, academic freedom, and free speech due to the government's actions.