Columbia University has expelled or suspended nearly 80 students some for up to three years and revoked academic degrees in response to their involvement in pro-Palestinian protests against Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza.
The university said the latest disciplinary action was tied to student-led disruptions at Butler Library in May 2025 and during Alumni Weekend in spring 2024.
“Disruptions to academic activities are in violation of University policies and rules, and such violations will necessarily generate consequences,” Columbia stated on Tuesday.
The student activist coalition Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), which has demanded that the university sever all financial ties with Israel, denounced the sanctions.
“The university’s sanctions on students hugely exceed precedent for teach-ins or non-Palestine-related building occupations,” CUAD said.
“We will not be deterred. We are committed to the struggle for Palestinian liberation.”
Protests at Columbia in 2024 most notably the encampments on campus helped spark a global wave of student-led opposition to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. Columbia ultimately allowed NYPD officers onto campus to dismantle protest sites and arrest demonstrators.
Despite the crackdown, student activists continued demonstrations, including an occupation of Butler Library during final exams in May 2025. Protesters called for divestment from companies with ties to the Israeli military and expressed solidarity with civilians in Gaza facing relentless bombardment.
The university’s Judicial Board confirmed that expulsions, suspensions, and degree revocations were the “final set of findings” related to that protest period. It did not disclose how many students were permanently expelled.
Columbia is also under political pressure, currently negotiating with the Trump administration to restore roughly $400 million in federal funding. The administration cut the funds, alleging the university failed to “meaningfully protect Jewish students against severe and pervasive harassment.”
Claire Shipman, Columbia’s acting president and a former trustee, has faced backlash from students, including boos during the May graduation ceremony over her handling of the protests.
Columbia’s crackdown mirrors broader tensions between elite US universities and the federal government. Harvard University, also facing potential loss of billions in funding, has responded by challenging the Trump administration in court.
The disciplinary actions came as Israel’s siege on Gaza deepens. On the same day Columbia issued its statement, health officials in the territory reported that at least 15 people, including a six-week-old baby, had died from starvation and malnutrition within a 24-hour period.
Meanwhile, Mahmoud Khalil a prominent Columbia protest leader who had been targeted for deportation by the Trump administration met with US lawmakers in Washington, DC This follows his recent release from immigration custody in Louisiana amid the administration’s pledge to deport pro-Palestinian activists.
Despite facing harsh institutional and governmental retaliation, CUAD and other student groups have vowed to continue their advocacy for Palestinian rights and divestment from companies linked to Israel’s military occupation.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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