Columbia punishes nearly 80 students over Gaza protests

Columbia University in the United States has imposed severe punishments, including expulsion, suspension from courses and revocation of academic degrees, on dozens of students who participated in protests against Israel’s war on Gaza. The student activist group Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), which has called for the school to cut all financial ties with Israel, said in a statement that nearly 80 students have now been either expelled or suspended for up to three years over their involvement in anti-war protests, reports Al Jazeera and news agencies.

“Disruptions to academic activities are in violation of university policies and rules, and such violations will necessarily generate consequences,” the university wrote.

The CUAD group said the university’s sanctions on students “hugely exceed precedent for teach-ins or non-Palestine-related building occupations”. “We will not be deterred. We are committed to the struggle for Palestinian liberation,” the group added.
Full report on the Al Jazeera site