Columbia University sanctions dozens of pro-Palestinian student protesters

Columbia University has expelled, suspended, and temporarily revoked the degrees of dozens of students who participated in pro-Palestinian protests last spring, escalating tensions between academic institutions and activists amid the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict.

According to an official university statement issued on Friday, the Columbia University Judicial Board determined findings and issued sanctions "ranging from multi-year suspensions, temporary degree revocations, and expulsions related to the occupation of Hamilton Hall last spring."

The university did not specify how many students received each type of sanction.

Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), a pro-Palestinian student group, claimed in social media posts Friday that 22 students were affected by the disciplinary actions, including some who had their degrees revoked. The group characterized the university's actions as "extreme repression" and "a panicked attempt at silencing the movement for Palestinian liberation."

"We will make Columbia divest no matter the repression they subject us to. Reinstate our students now. Divest from genocide now," CUAD stated on Instagram.

The disciplinary measures follow months of pro-Palestinian protests that have roiled U.S. college campuses since the Israel-Gaza war began in October 2023. Columbia University became an epicenter of these demonstrations after students established encampments on campus and briefly occupied a university building last spring.

People attend a protest following the arrest by US immigration agents of Palestinian student protester Mahmoud Khalil at Columbia University, in Berkeley, California, U.S. March 11, 2025.Reuters

Gregory Wawro, identified in activist posts as a "Rules Administrator" at Columbia, reportedly sent a memo about disciplinary proceedings shortly after the Trump administration canceled government contracts and grants awarded to the university worth approximately $400 million, citing concerns about antisemitic harassment on campus.

In its official statement, Columbia said, "The return of suspended students will be overseen by Columbia's University Life Office. Columbia is committed to enforcing the University's Rules and Policies and improving our disciplinary processes."

CUAD also claimed that Columbia expelled the president of UAW 2710 Student Workers of Columbia Union just one day before contract bargaining was set to begin, alleging the university "violated labor law, giving the union grounds to file an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) against the University."

The university maintains that the sanctions are necessary to uphold campus policies and address concerns about antisemitism.

Heightened scrutiny of campus protests

On Saturday, March 8, U.S. Department of Homeland Security agents arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian graduate student at Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs, at his university residence.

Khalil, who holds a U.S. permanent residency green card and whose American wife is eight months pregnant, had been a mediator between protesters and school administrators during previous demonstrations.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio commented on Khalil's arrest on social media, writing: "We will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported."

The arrest prompted approximately 150 protesters to gather at Trump Tower in New York City on Thursday in a demonstration organized by Jewish Voice for Peace, a progressive Jewish anti-Zionist organization. Some protesters were arrested, though the exact number was not confirmed.

Demonstrators are detained during a rally against the ICE detention of Palestinian activist and Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, at Trump Tower in New York City, U.S., March 13, 2025.Reuters

President Donald Trump called Khalil a "Radical Foreign Pro-Hamas Student" and indicated his arrest was "the first of many to come," fulfilling a campaign promise to deport foreign students involved in pro-Palestinian protests.