PNN – Columbia University in the United States severely punished more than 70 students, many of whom were expelled and suspended, simply for protesting the crimes of the Israeli regime in Gaza.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network, Fox News reported that Columbia University has disciplined at least 70 of its students for participating in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. This decision follows a wave of student protests across the United States that began last spring in response to Israel’s attack on the Gaza Strip.
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According to the report, these students have faced suspensions or disciplinary warnings for participating in setting up protest tents, refusing to leave designated locations by the university, and directly supporting boycott movements against Israel. These penalties include expulsion, one- to three-year suspensions, and even revocation of degrees. Fox News reported that about 70 percent of these students were suspended or expelled.
Fox News also reported, citing university officials, that these actions were taken to “maintain academic order,” while critics see it as an attempt to suppress free speech and support the Palestinian cause. Especially since the severe punishment of pro-Palestinian students comes after the Donald Trump administration severely pressured the university financially and also threatened to cut off the university’s $400 million in federal funding.
It is worth remembering that Columbia University was among the universities where student protests against the war in Gaza were most intense, and in some cases even led to clashes between students and police forces.