Columbia University is taking action to punish nearly 80 students involved in disruptive, anti-Israel protests. The disciplinary actions reportedly include suspensions, expulsions, and even revoking some degrees.
A university judicial board said the punishments are related to actions during a barricade of Butler Library in May 2025 and similar antisemitic protests last year.
The rare move comes as the school seeks to regain more than $400 million in federal funding cancelled by President Trump back in March. The new administration has called out the university for failure to squelch antisemitism on campus since Hamas terrorists invaded Israel in October 2023.
* Trump Admin Cancels $400M in Federal Funding for Columbia University, Citing Antisemitism
In response to the loss of funding, Columbia has since adopted a new definition of antisemitism, revealed it would downsize nearly 180 staffers, and now it’s disciplining students.
“Our institution must focus on delivering on its academic mission for our community,” the university announced Tuesday. “And to create a thriving academic community, there must be respect for each other and the institution’s fundamental work, policies, and rules. Disruptions to academic activities are in violation of University policies and Rules, and such violations will necessarily generate consequences.”
A student group called Columbia University Apartheid Divest stated in a news release that nearly 80 students have been told they will be suspended for one to three years for their participation in anti-Israel activities. The group reports suspended students would be required to submit apologies in order to be allowed back on campus or face expulsion.
Back in May, CBN News reported that crowds of masked pro-Palestinian protesters had stormed the Columbia library, beating drums and chanting. Two public safety officers suffered injuries in the melee.
The university said most in the crowd have no affiliation with the school, but of the more than 80 people arrested, police say all are students there. Officials had issued a statement, saying, “Columbia strongly condemns…antisemitism and all forms of hate and discrimination, some of which we witnessed today.”
Earlier this year, President Trump had also taken aim at Harvard University for antisemitic protests there. His administration froze more than $2 billion in funding for the Ivy League school for refusing its demands to address antisemitism on campus and reform DEI policies.
* ‘Egregious Antisemitism’: Trump Blasts ‘Terrorist Inspired Sickness’ at Harvard, Freezes Funding
* College Presidents Grilled as Columbia Erupts in New Round of Anti-Israel Violence
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