In the US, Columbia University announced that some students who entered the Hamilton Hall building during last year’s pro-Palestine demonstrations were expelled, suspended, and graduates had their diplomas temporarily revoked. The Discipline Committee of Columbia University stated in an email sent to students that it had taken disciplinary actions against those who participated in protests supporting Palestine. The statement mentioned that some students who entered the historic Hamilton Hall building last year were suspended, expelled, and graduates had their diplomas temporarily revoked. The number of students affected by the sanctions was not specified.

PROTESTS IN US UNIVERSITIES: At Columbia University, pro-Palestinian students initiated a sit-in protest on April 16, 2024, in the campus garden to protest the school’s ongoing financial investments in companies supporting Israel’s attacks and occupation in Gaza. The protest camp was named the Gaza Solidarity Camp. Provost Minouche Shafik, on the second day of protests, requested assistance from the New York Police Department (NYPD) to disperse the demonstrators. The police who entered the campus arrested 108 students.

Following negotiation disputes with the school administration on April 29, 2024, students entered the historic Hamilton Hall building, and the next day, riot police units under the NYPD’s command intervened and evacuated the students upon the school administration’s request. The police also dismantled the tent camp in the garden. The pro-Palestine protests at Columbia University spread to over 50 other universities in the country, resulting in more than 3,100 arrests of mostly students and faculty members. Entities under President Donald Trump’s administration announced a review of federal contracts and grants with Columbia University in New York due to allegations of antisemitism.

LEADER OF PROTESTS ARRESTED: Authorities from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained Palestinian activist and graduate student Mahmud Halil, who played a significant role in last year’s anti-Israel protest demonstrations at the university. Halil’s lawyer, Amy Greer, confirmed in a statement that Halil was arrested by ICE officials in an apartment building owned by the university near the Manhattan campus. The Trump administration canceled $400 million in funding to Columbia University on March 7, citing perceived shortcomings in combating antisemitism.