Columbia warns journalism students to stay silent on Gaza or risk arrest

Columbia students told ‘these are dangerous times’, LBC presenter recounts

Students at Columbia University have been advised by the Dean of the Journalism School, Jelani Cobb, to keep their social media pages free of commentary on the Middle East because ’these are dangerous… pic.twitter.com/1IgnqUPLPQ

— Middle East Monitor (@MiddleEastMnt) March 17, 2025

Just days after US agents arrested former Columbia University student and pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, university officials urged foreign faculty and journalism students to be cautious when discussing Israel’s war on Gaza, according to the New York Times.  

During a private meeting with journalism students last week, adjunct professor and First Amendment lawyer, Stuart Karle, advised non-US citizens to avoid publicly commenting on those topics.

“If you have a social media page, make sure it is not filled with commentary on the Middle East,” he reportedly warned.

Dean of Columbia’s journalism school, Jelani Cobb, echoed the concern after a Palestinian student objected, reportedly telling students, “Nobody can protect you. These are dangerous times.”

The meeting followed increasing pressure from the Trump administration on the university, including a crackdown on pro-Palestinian activism and Khalil’s detainment by federal authorities.

Khalil was arrested by ICE agents on 8 March at his university-owned apartment. The arrest was carried out following an order by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to revoke his student visa and Green Card.

The Trump administration has accused Khalil, who played a prominent role in pro-Palestinian demonstrations at the school last year, of engaging in “activities aligned with Hamas” though no evidence has been provided. He is currently being held at an ICE detention centre in the state of Louisiana.

President Donald Trump has defended the detention, stating that Khalil’s case is “the first of many to come” as his administration moves to crack down on those who joined protests against Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip, in which more than 48,500 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023.

A video released by Khalil’s attorneys on Friday showed the moment federal agents arrested him in the lobby of his apartment building. The footage captures Khalil calmly complying with officers as his wife, Noor Abdalla, pleads for information on his whereabouts. Abdalla, an American citizen who is eight months pregnant, demanded that the agents identify themselves, to which one responded, “We don’t give our names.”

Khalil’s attorneys argue that his arrest for “exercising his First Amendment rights, speaking up in defense of Palestinians in Gaza” is politically motivated and part of a broader crackdown on pro-Palestinian demonstrations.

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