SAEDNEWS: Columbia University said Tuesday that it sanctioned students for anti-Israeli regime's crimes protests in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Columbia University said Tuesday that it sanctioned students for a library takeover in May as well as a protest encampment in the spring of 2024, US media reported.
The penalties come as the university has faced heavy government pressure to suppress pro-Palestine protesters.
The University has seen frequent anti-Israeli regime protests. An anti-Israel student encampment on the campus in 2024 sparked a nationwide movement.
The school was thrust back into the spotlight this year when immigration authorities arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian protest leader at the university. The Trump administration also canceled $400 million in grants and contracts with the school earlier this year due to campus antisemitism. Columbia has entered negotiations with the administration to recover the funding.
A statement from the Ivy League school in New York City said the sanctions include expulsions, probation, degree revocations and suspensions ranging from one to three years. Columbia University Apartheid Divest, a coalition of anti-Israel student groups, said nearly 80 students were suspended or expelled.
The university said it does not comment on individual cases and does not announce the number of students who are being punished.
