Daily Times

Columbia University has given strict punishments to pro-Palestine students who took part in the April 2024 protest at Hamilton Hall. The punishments include long suspensions, expulsions, and taking away degrees. The university did not say how many students were affected, citing privacy rules. These actions were part of bigger protests calling for an end to US support for Israel and for Columbia to stop investing in Israeli companies.

During the protest, students locked themselves inside Hamilton Hall before police removed them. Columbia says the protesters also damaged the building, which led to the harsh punishments. The university explained that each student’s punishment depended on their actions and past behavior. These protests were part of a larger movement on Columbia’s campus, where both pro-Palestine and pro-Israel groups demonstrated.

This crackdown comes after the recent arrest of former Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil by US immigration officials. Khalil, a permanent US resident, was detained in Louisiana after the US Department of State requested his arrest for pro-Palestinian activism. A federal judge has stopped his deportation for now. Meanwhile, concerns over anti-Semitism in these protests led US President Donald Trump to cancel $400 million in federal funding.

Mahmoud Khalil and seven other people have sued Columbia University to stop it from sharing student activists’ personal information. Their lawsuit is a response to a request from the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, which wants records of students involved in the protests. This legal battle shows the growing conflict between student activism, university rules, and government actions on campus protests.