Columbia University has imposed a variety of sanctions on an unspecified number of students participating in pro-Palestine activism, with penalties ranging from suspension for multiple years to expulsion and revocation of degrees.
Following a detailed assessment of the “severity of behavior” during the events and any prior student transgressions, Columbia University declared these sanctions in a statement released on Thursday.
Although specifics on the number of students facing punishment or their identities were not disclosed by the university, citing privacy concerns, the sanctions relate to incidents in April 2024.
At that time, students staged a brief occupation of Hamilton Hall as part of a broader wave of pro-Palestine and pro-Israel demonstrations across the university’s Manhattan campus.
Protesters’ demands included an end to US backing for the conflict in Gaza and calls for the university to disinvest from Israeli entities.
During the occupation of Hamilton Hall, students barricaded themselves inside the building before being forcibly removed by police, with the university alleging that the building was also vandalized.
This announcement on punishing student protesters comes shortly after Mahmoud Khalil, a former graduate student at Columbia and a permanent US resident, was arrested by immigration authorities at the request of the US Department of State for his involvement in pro-Palestinian activism.
Khalil, who is married to a US citizen, took part in demonstrations until his graduation in December. Though his deportation has been temporarily halted by a federal judge, he remains in custody in a Louisiana detention facility.
Adding to the situation, US President Donald Trump has declared plans to cancel $400 million in federal grants and contracts due to “legitimate concerns” of anti-Semitism on campuses tied to pro-Palestinian protests.
