Columbia University Expels Pro-Palestinian Student

Columbia University/UNSPLASH/Chenyu Guan

JAKARTA - New York-based Columbia University has expelled and suspended several students involved in pro-Palestinian demonstrations, including the occupation of Hamilton Hall last spring.

As reported by ANTARA from Anadolu, Saturday, March 15, the university said its Judicial Council issued sanctions ranging from multi-year suspensions to provisional degree revocations and expulsions.

The exact number of students affected was not disclosed.

A group of anti-war protesters entered the historic Hamilton Hall building on the university's central campus in April 2024, renaming it "Hind's Hall," in reference to Hind Rajab, a 6-year-old girl who was brutally killed by Israeli forces.

Among those expelled was Grant Miner, president of the Student Workers of Columbia (SWC), a union representing instructors and researchers.

The union condemned the decision, saying Miner was expelled “without evidence” for her participation in Palestine solidarity activism, which was a response to Columbia’s financial ties to Israel’s “US-backed” genocide.

The group also criticized the timing of the expulsion, saying it came less than 24 hours before a negotiating session with the university.

Columbia defended its actions, saying it was “committed to upholding University Rules and Policies.”

The expulsion comes as Columbia faces heightened scrutiny from the Trump administration, which recently canceled $400 million in federal funding, accusing the university of failing to address anti-Semitic incidents.

The action follows the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent pro-Palestinian activist and Columbia graduate, by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The move follows Trump's executive order targeting "pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity" on college campuses.

"We know there are many more students at Columbia and other universities across the country who are engaged in pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic and anti-American activity, and the Trump Administration will not tolerate it," he said.

Trump called Khalil's detention "the first of many arrests," signaling a broader crackdown on pro-Palestinian activism.