Columbia University came under fire after they arrested, suspended, or expelled over 100 students. Like many of their peers across the country, these students took part in protests calling attention to the ongoing war and humanitarian crisis in Gaza. This series of disciplinary actions has ignited a fierce debate about free speech, activism, and the university’s commitment to its historical role in social justice movements.
In the month of September 2023, Columbia students marched in the streets as outrage grew. They sought to call attention to the suffering of the Palestinian people, which activists on the ground have described as genocidal. The protests included a large takeover of Hamilton Hall. In an inspiring tribute to Nelson Mandela and his continuing legacy through the global fight against apartheid, students renamed the building Mandela Hall. The students wanted to make connections from the past inequities of their time — and their ancestors’ time — to today’s fight for liberation.
Columbia University has for months been under fire for what many describe as a politically motivated crackdown on pro-Palestine activism. Meanwhile, we’re hearing reports that the administration has suspended dozens of students as the situation in Gaza continues to spiral out of control. More than 2.1 million Palestinians face unimaginable hardship from the ongoing humanitarian crisis. Israeli military actions, supported by U.S. foreign policy, have created a climate of extreme deprivation for these folks.
The recent disciplinary actions mark the largest number of suspensions for a single political action in Columbia’s storied history. Critics have claimed that the university’s response is emblematic of a darker trend — the “Palestine exception” to free speech. They argue that advocacy promoting Palestinian rights is under heightened surveillance and punishment. This trend has led to charges of a made-up campus antisemitism crisis. Consequently, it fostered a culture that discourages frank discussion.
Columbia’s historical context makes the current situation all the more complicated. In 1985, following years of student activism, the university divested from apartheid South Africa, demonstrating its capacity for change in response to student-led movements. Students today are insisting on our movement to oppose what they perceive as the same injustice in Gaza. They are greeted with a cold shoulder from administration.
The university has introduced a series of increasingly restrictive rules about protesting and congregating. More importantly, advocates say these last-minute negotiations have left students in the dark. They send a chilling message to anyone who might wish to exercise their political speech. Disciplinary measures have been used to disproportionately target Arab- and Muslim-looking activists, who have faced the most severe side of the administration’s heavy-handed response.
Students have been remarkably sharp and in-sync with regards to their mobilization to call for a free Palestine. Most of them understand their work as part of a larger global movement fighting systemic injustices and promoting human rights. They have made clear that they are not going to be discouraged from pursuing their activism by such severe consequences.
“The smokescreen of good manners is cloaking a manifestly ideological position on what kinds of speech belong on a college campus.” – columbiaspectator.com
This administration’s recent actions have particularly riled faculty members and human rights organizations, among others. Critics argue that Columbia’s current posture undermines the very principles of academic freedom and free expression that universities claim to uphold.
Silence is deafening and tensions are rising on campus. In response, the university announced that the school’s judicial board would be restructured, with students removed to allow for stricter enforcement of protocols on political speech. Most consider these actions to be an effort to muzzle antagonistic voices at a key moment.