Most students at Columbia University who faced disciplinary action, suspension, or arrest for participating in pro-Palestinian Arab protests against the war in Gaza and calling for an end to US military support for Israel, are expected to return to campus soon, according to information shared by the university and reported by Reuters.
Columbia University has seen an uptick in antisemitism and anti-Israel protests on campus since Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7 and the war in Gaza which followed.
Pro-Palestinian Arab demonstrators at Columbia set up dozens of tents in April, demanding that the university divest from its Israeli assets. The university administration called in police to dismantle the encampments, a move that was condemned by rights groups.
Out of the 40 students who were arrested or disciplined when police were called to the campus on April 18, only two remain suspended, according to information released by a Republican-led US congressional panel and cited by Reuters.
The panel, which is investigating allegations of antisemitism on campus, requested this information from the university and criticized Columbia, stating that its actions were insufficient.
On April 30, at the request of university leaders, hundreds of officers with the New York Police Department stormed onto campus, gaining access to the building through a second-story window and making dozens of arrests of the pro-Palestinian Arab demonstrators who had taken over Hamilton Hall.
From the more than 80 students arrested during that time, only five are still facing interim suspension without access to the campus, according to information released on Monday.
The information shared by the university also showed that dozens of disciplinary cases are ongoing. Columbia University Apartheid Divest, the group behind the protests, stated that those students could still face disciplinary action.
Before the anti-Israel encampment on campus, the Chabad rabbi of Columbia University and a group of Jewish students were forced to leave the university campus for their own safety during a pro-Hamas demonstration.
Two weeks ago, three Columbia University deans resigned from the school, after it was discovered that they had exchanged “very troubling” texts that “disturbingly touched on ancient antisemitic tropes”.
Last week, Columbia University President Dr. Minouche Shafik announced her resignation, following months of criticism for her handling of campus antisemitism.
Shafik came under fire, among other things, after she refused to condemn the phrase "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" as antisemitic during a hearing on campus antisemitism at the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
Instead, she called the chant "hurtful" and said that she would rather not hear it uttered on campus.
Shai Davidai, an Israeli-born assistant professor at the Columbia Business School, called Shafik a “coward” in a fiery speech last year criticizing the president for failing to quiet “pro-terror” voices at the school.
