TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Columbia University in New York, USA, has taken serious disciplinary actions, including expulsion, suspension from courses, and revocation of academic degrees, against dozens of students who participated in protests against Israel's genocide in Gaza.
The student activist group Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), which has called for the university to cut all financial ties with Israel, stated in a press release that almost 80 students have now been expelled or suspended for up to three years due to their involvement in anti-war protests.
On Tuesday, Columbia stated in a press release that its recent punishments against students were related to the “disruption of Butler Library in May 2025 and the encampment 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,” the university wrote, as quoted by Aljazeera.
The CUAD group said the university's sanctions against students “hugely exceed precedent for teach-ins or non-Palestine-related building occupations.”
“We will not be deterred. We are committed to the struggle for Palestinian liberation,” the group said.
The pro-Palestinian student encampment at Columbia University last year also sparked a global movement against Israel's ongoing genocide against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The protest site was eventually disbanded when Columbia University allowed hundreds of New York City police officers to enter the campus, leading to the arrest of dozens of people.
Despite the university's tough actions, protesting students still occupied the Butler Library during final exams in May of this year. They demanded divestment from companies associated with the Israeli military and expressed solidarity with the people of Palestine in Gaza.
The Judicial Board of Columbia University confirmed that it has issued expulsions, suspensions, and revocations of degrees following what it called disruptions during the reading period. The board did not mention how many students were expelled, but said that these were “the final set of findings from that period.”
The Ivy League university is currently negotiating with the U.S. government to restore approximately US$400 million in federal funds. The Trump administration cut funding for the New York City-based institution over what it claimed was a failure to “meaningfully protect Jewish students against severe and pervasive harassment.”
Columbia University's acting president, Claire Shipman, a former trustee, was jeered at by students during the May graduation ceremony for her role in cracking down on pro-Palestinian protests.
The latest disciplinary actions announced by Columbia University against its students occurred on Tuesday as Israel's siege on the Gaza Strip continued to cause widespread starvation.
At least 15 people, including a six-week-old baby, died from hunger and malnutrition within a 24-hour period, according to health officials. Meanwhile, Israel's genocide over the past 21 months has killed more than 59,100 Palestinians in Gaza.
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