Columbia Students Sue University over Suspensions Following Pro-Palestine Protests
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Three Columbia University graduate students have filed a lawsuit against the institution, citing wrongful suspensions and harassment over their participation in pro-Palestine demonstrations.
The lawsuit claims the university disregarded due process and acted under external pressure to suppress their activism.
Three Columbia University graduate students, suspended last year for participating in protests against Israel’s crimes in Gaza, filed a lawsuit against the university on Feb. 3 in New York State Supreme Court. The suit alleges that Columbia unfairly targeted them with disciplinary actions and harassment due to their involvement in a Gaza solidarity encampment and other pro-Palestine activism.
The lawsuit claims that Columbia violated its own disciplinary policies, persecuting the students based on their protected status and speech. It further asserts that billionaire donors and New York City Mayor Eric Adams pressured the university to call the police to arrest protesters, including the plaintiffs.
The legal action comes as Harvard University faces similar complaints, with nearly 200 faculty, students, staff, and alumni alleging a hostile environment for Palestinians, Arabs, Muslims, and supporters of Palestinian human rights. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) recently designated Harvard as a “hostile campus” after the university adopted a broad definition of antisemitism that includes criticism of Israel. Columbia has been on CAIR’s list since Jan. 8 due to its disciplinary measures against students.
Columbia University declined to comment on the lawsuit.
