Columbia Threatens to Suspend Students as President Testifies in Congress

As Columbia University President Nemat (Minouche) Shafik on Wednesday testified before Congress on antisemitism, the Ivy League college in New York City warned students of suspension over their "Gaza Solidarity Encampment" sit-in on the South Lawn of the campus in Upper Manhattan's Morningside Heights neighborhood.

Organized by a coalition of groups, the students gathered to protest Columbia's "continued financial investment in corporations that profit from Israeli apartheid, genocide, and occupation in Palestine."

College students have been at the forefront of both pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian protests since the Israel-Hamas war began. On October 7, Hamas led the deadliest Palestinian attack on Israel in history. Israel subsequently launched its heaviest airstrikes against Gaza. As of Wednesday, at least 1,200 people have been killed in Israel, the Associated Press reported, per the Israeli government. More than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, per the Gaza Health Ministry, according to the outlet.

Protests have since erupted across the nation as tensions escalate, with many calling for a lasting cease-fire amid the rising death toll, particularly among civilians.

Early Wednesday morning, hours before Shafik was scheduled to testify before the House Education and Workforce Committee about increased antisemitism on college campuses, students began gathering and pitching tents for what they called the "Gaza Solidarity Encampment" in an effort to demand the school administration to divest from companies affiliated with Israel.

"This mass action was organized by the student-led coalition Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), & Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) to protest Columbia University's continued financial investment in corporations that profit from Israeli apartheid, genocide, and occupation in Palestine," CUAD said in a press release.

However, in a video posted on X, formerly Twitter, user Sebas noted Columbia representatives had made their way to the protest and warned that if students refused to leave, they would get suspended.

"Columbia Uni reps have entered the camp & have warned that if students do not evacuate by 11 AM, all students will be SUSPENDED," Sebas wrote on X.

In a statement emailed to Newsweek, a Columbia University spokesperson said, "The presence of tents on South Lawn is a safety concern and a violation of university policies. We are informing the students they are in violation of university policies and for their own safety and for the operation of the university they need to leave."

Reporter Talia Jane said on X that representatives from nearby Barnard College also attempted to talk with students in a bid to get them to disperse and avoid disciplinary action.

"Reps from @BarnardCollege entered the lawn at @Columbia where hundreds of students have gathered for a Gaza Solidarity Encampment calling on the university to divest from Israel. Admins tell students to talk to them to avoid disciplinary action. Students laugh & chant 'Hell no,'" Jane wrote on X.

Newsweek also reached out to Barnard College via email for comment on Wednesday.

The protest comes as Shafik testified in Washington, D.C., and agreed that the university needed to take a tougher stance on antisemitism, in response to questioning from a Republican-led House committee.

Republicans had described what they called a pervasive pattern of bias, including assaults, harassment and vandalism from students and faculty on campus since the Israel-Hamas war began.

In response, Shafik said that Columbia had been unprepared with policies "designed for a very different world." But after updating them, she said, the university suspended 15 students and warned others while also stating that any student calling for the genocide of Jews would be punished.

"I promise you, from the messages I'm hearing from students, they are getting the message that violations of our policies will have consequences," Shafik said.

When Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, one of two Muslim women serving in Congress, pressed Shafik on why students on campus were evicted and suspended for their participation in pro-Palestinian events, Shafik said the students had refused to cooperate with an investigation.

Update 4/21/24, 6:37 p.m. ET: This article was updated with a comment from a Columbia University spokesperson.