At Columbia University in the United States, the school announced that some students who entered Hamilton Hall during last year’s Palestinian support protests have been expelled, suspended, and those who graduated had their diplomas temporarily revoked. The university’s Disciplinary Board informed students in an email that it had imposed sanctions on those who participated in the Palestinian support protests.
The statement noted that some students who entered the historic Hamilton Hall last year were suspended, expelled, and those who had graduated had their diplomas temporarily revoked.
The number of students affected by the sanctions was not specified.
PROTESTS AT U.S. UNIVERSITIES
At Columbia University, pro-Palestinian students began a sit-in protest on campus grounds on April 16, 2024, to protest the school’s continued financial investments in companies supporting Israel’s attacks on Gaza and its occupation, setting up a tent city named the Gaza Solidarity Camp.
On the second day of the protests, President Minouche Shafik requested assistance from the New York Police Department (NYPD) to disperse the demonstrators, and the police arrested 108 students on campus.
Later, on April 29, 2024, after negotiations with the university administration stalled, students entered the historic Hamilton Hall building. The next day, at the university administration’s request, NYPD’s riot police intervened, cleared the building, and dismantled the tent camp in the campus yard.
The Palestinian support protests that began at Columbia University spread to more than 50 other universities across the country, with over 3,100 individuals, including many students and faculty members, being detained by the police during the demonstrations.
The U.S. government, under the Trump administration, reviewed Columbia University’s federal contracts and grants due to allegations of antisemitism related to the protests.
On March 7, the Trump administration canceled Columbia University’s $400 million funding, citing a “failure to combat antisemitism” as the reason.