Columbia University affiliate expels students for class disruption, pro-Palestinian protest
A pro-Palestinian coalition of Columbia students said they plan to hold a week of protests in response to the school's decision.
Barnard college, an affiliate of Columbia University in New York, reportedly expelled two students last week for disrupting a session of the class "History of Modern Israel."
The Barnard students, both seniors in their last semester of undergraduate studies, banged on drums while chanting "free Palestine'' and distributed flyers with the phrase "CRUSH ZIONISM" and a depiction of a boot over the Star of David, according to Jewish Insider.
A Columbia University student was also involved in the protest and has since been suspended and barred from campus, the university said in a press release last month.
The history course is being run by Columbia, and the disturbance occurred on the first day of spring semester classes for both schools, according to the student group Columbia University Apartheid Divest.
The pro-Palestinian coalition criticized the expulsions in a statement posted to X Sunday, calling Barnard's decision "a serious escalation in the crackdown" against student activism. The group said in their post they plan to hold "a week of action" Monday through Thursday in response.
Columbia University became the epicenter of nationwide protests last spring, during which students built encampments and denounced Israel's escalating response in its war against Hamas. In one day of demonstrations last April, more than 100 Columbia students were arrested on campus.
More than 50 students from Barnard have been suspended for political protest, according to Columbia University Apartheid Divest.
Barnard College President Laura Rosenbury said in a statement to Paste BN that under federal law the school cannot comment on academic and disciplinary records of students.
"That said, as a matter of principle and policy, Barnard will always take decisive action to protect our community as a place where learning thrives, individuals feel safe, and higher education is celebrated. This means upholding the highest standards and acting when those standards are threatened," Rosenbury said.
"When rules are broken, when there is no remorse, no reflection, and no willingness to change, we must act," she added. "Expulsion is always an extraordinary measure, but so too is our commitment to respect, inclusion, and the integrity of the academic experience."