Columbia University officials have finally taken disciplinary action against anti-Israel agitators who broke into Hamilton Hall on the school’s New York City campus in April 2024, with some getting suspended and others getting expelled.
The Columbia University Apartheid Divest group said in a press release Monday that Barnard College, which is part of Columbia University, expelled three students.
One student was expelled for participating in the occupation last April, while another was suspended for their involvement.
Barnard also expelled two students for disrupting a class called the “History of Modern Israel.” The duo allegedly wore headscarves to hide their faces when they ran into the classroom and threw antisemitic pamphlets around the room.
New York Police Department officers detain dozens of pro-Palestinian agitators at Columbia University after they barricaded themselves at the Hamilton Hall building on April 30, 2024. (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Fox News reached out to the college, and officials said they cannot comment on disciplinary action. Instead, they said they will always do what is right, not what is easy.
“Under federal law, we cannot comment on the 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,” Barnard President Laura Rosenbury said in a statement. “This means upholding the highest standards and acting when those standards are threatened.
A maintenance crew member confronts agitators attempting to barricade themselves inside Hamilton Hall at Columbia University on April 30, 2024 in New York City. (Alex Kent/Getty Images)
“When rules are broken, when there is no remorse, no reflection, and no willingness to change, we must act. Expulsion is always an extraordinary measure, but so too is our commitment to respect, inclusion, and the integrity of the academic experience,” she added. “At Barnard, we always fiercely defend our values. At Barnard, we always reject harassment and discrimination in all forms. And at Barnard, we always do what is right, not what is easy.”
Last spring, police made dozens of arrests at Columbia University’s Hamilton Hall building and at a separate demonstration at the City College of New York; almost half of the suspects were non-students, authorities said at the time.
Anti-Israel students lock arms, sing and chant as they braced for New York Police Department officers to raid campus after Columbia University President Minouche Shafik called on the NYPD to dismantle encampments and remove individuals from Hamilton Hall, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in New York. (Seyma Bayram via AP)
Demonstrators smashed windows, blocked windows and doors with chains and furniture and were seen covering their faces with keffiyehs before police took them into custody. Outside, they maintained a tent encampment for weeks.
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The school faced criticism over its response to the agitators, who set up camp on a lawn and were accused of starting antisemitic confrontations. Some faculty members defended the group and even blocked other students and members of the press from entering their encampment.
Fox News Digital’s Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.
