Key points
- University has also temporarily revoked diplomas of some students
- Conclusion of probe comes amid demand for release of Khalil
- Agents arrested Khalil at his Columbia housing
- Trump administration has also stripped the university funds over protests
NEW YORK: Columbia University has expelled or suspended some students who took over a campus building during pro-Palestinian protests last spring and temporarily revoked the diplomas of others who have since graduated, officials announced Thursday.
The university said in a campus-wide email that a judicial board brought a range of sanctions against students who occupied Hamilton Hall last spring to protest the war in Gaza, according to AP.
Columbia University did not provide a breakdown of how many students were expelled, were suspended or had their degrees revoked, but it said the outcomes were based on an “evaluation of the severity of behaviours.”
The conclusion of the monthslong investigative process comes as the university is reeling from the arrest of a well-known Palestinian campus activist, Mahmoud Khalil, by federal immigration authorities last Saturday.
“Release Mahmoud Khalil”
Hundreds of demonstrators rallied in New York City on Monday to demand his release after US President Donald Trump said Khalil’s was the “first arrest of many to come.” The People’s Forum organized the rally at Federal Plaza in Manhattan on Monday and has demanded that Khalil be released immediately
“Hands off our students! ICE off our campuses!” the group posted on X.
Monday afternoon protesters filled the commons and quickly amassed into the hundreds, some carrying “Release Mahmoud Khalil” signs as an American Civil Liberties Union protest monitor watched.
Protesters joined in unison to chant “free, free Palestine,” “ICE off our campus now,” “Release Mahmoud Khalil now,” and, “From the river to the sea Palestine will be free”, CNBC reported.
“Blatantly unconstitutional act”
Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition, said the arrest was a “blatantly unconstitutional act.”
At the same time, the Trump administration has stripped the university of more than $400 million in federal funds over protests. Congressional Republicans have pointed specifically to a failure to discipline students involved in the Hamilton Hall seizure as proof of inaction by the university.
Over 48,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed in Israel’s military action, according to Gaza health ministry.
