Columbia University announced on May 10, 2025, it has suspended over 65 students and barred 33 others, including alumni and affiliates of Barnard College, for participating in a pro-Palestinian demonstration at Butler Library earlier this week. The protest, which involved occupation and eventual shutdown of Butler Library by demonstrators’s, has reignited debate over free speech rights, campus safety measures and Columbia’s response to student activism. Inside Higher Ed/ CityNews Halifax/ The Times of India all covered it extensively as reported on.
Axios reports that suspended students cannot take final exams and can only access campus to reach their dormitories; according to campus rules violations as the cause for suspensions. The Media Line and The Jerusalem Post both report suspensions of suspended students as an explanation.
This demonstration marks a growing pro-Palestinian activism on U.S. campuses, brought on by ongoing tensions in the Middle East and recent policy decisions by Donald Trump’s administration. At Columbia, protestors demanded divesting from companies linked to Israel as well as greater transparency regarding investments at their institution (Axios, Wikipedia, Wall Street Journal & The Nation all reported).
Civil liberties organizations and some faculty members have voiced concern that the university’s actions violate students’ freedom of expression rights, suggesting external political pressures such as federal funding threats may have had an influence over its response; urmari AP News
Responding to these suspensions, student groups have organized additional demonstrations and are seeking legal advice in an attempt to reverse them. Their contention is that peaceful protest is fundamental to academic freedom and that these suspensions set a troubling precedent.
As events progress, Columbia University finds itself under mounting pressure to strike a balance between enforcement of campus policies and protecting student’s rights to protest or express their opinions on global issues.