Columbia University has announced expulsions, multi-year suspensions and degree revocations related to the Hamilton Hall protest against Israel’s bombing of Gaza last year, reported AP News.
According to student organisers, at least 22 students were impacted, and Student Workers of Columbia (SWC) Union President, Grant Miner, was expelled and fired just before contract negotiations. The SWC condemned this as a “shocking move” and part of a broader crackdown on free speech targeting students and workers who have protested against the war on Gaza.
“The shocking move is part of a wave of crackdowns on free speech against students and workers who have spoken out and protested for peace and against the war on Gaza,” the union wrote in a statement. “It is no accident that this comes days after the federal government froze Columbia’s funding, and threatened to pull funding from 60 other universities across the country.”
This comes after it was revealed that the Trump administration had sent a letter to Columbia, outlining strict demands, including severe disciplinary action against students involved in last year’s Hamilton Hall protest, centralising disciplinary power under the university president, banning masks during protests, restructuring the Middle East, South Asian, and African Studies department, and adopting the controversialIHRA definition of anti-Semitism.
Critics argue that adopting the IHRA definition will be used to silence criticism of Israel and restrict academic freedom. Seven of the 11 examples cited in the IHRA conflate criticism of Israel with anti-Jewish racism. It’s widely criticised for having a chilling effect on free speech including by its founder Kenneth Stern. It lists examples of anti-Semitic acts, such as claiming that “the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavour” and “drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.”
READ: US government cuts $400 million funding to Columbia University over pro-Palestine protests
Student groups argue that these examples restrict their ability to express criticisms of Israeli policies without facing sanctions from the university.
Yesterday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) executed two search warrants at Columbia University less than a week after Palestinian activist and student, Mahmoud Khalil, was detained by federal immigration authorities.
Columbia’s interim president, Katrina Armstrong, informed the university community last night of the search operation in an email. “I am writing heartbroken to inform you that federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) were present in two University residences tonight. No one was arrested or detained,” Armstrong wrote.
She explained that DHS had served Columbia with two judicial search warrants, signed by a federal magistrate judge, allowing agents to enter non-public areas of the university and search two student rooms.
While no arrests were made, Armstrong emphasised the university’s legal obligation to comply with the warrants.
As tensions continue to rise between the federal government, Columbia University, and its student body, the university has pledged to uphold the rule of law while emphasising its commitment to due process.
“Columbia is committed to upholding the law, and we expect city, state, and federal agencies to do the same,” Armstrong wrote, stressing that the university remains a place where “the rule of law and due process is respected” and where all community members are valued.