Columbia University announced Tuesday the penalization of students who invaded the Butler Library in May to protest on behalf of Palestine amid the Israel-Hamas War.
At the time, protesters attempted to make Butler Library a “liberated zone” with banners hung throughout, creating a state of disruption for students studying in the library. They also renamed the library “Basel Al-Araj Popular University,” after a Palestinian activist killed in 2017. Before the police stopped the protest, participants chanted “Intifada Revolution… Palestine will be free… There is only one solution.” Consequently, 80 protesters faced detainment by the NYPD.
In a statement issued Tuesday, Columbia University announced the sanctions issued by the university’s Judicial Board.
“The sanctions issued on July 21 by the University Judicial Board were determined by a UJB panel of professors and administrators who worked diligently over the summer to offer an outcome for each individual based on the findings of their case and prior disciplinary outcomes,” the university said.
The university further mentioned the discipline it will impose on students who violated the library in May.
“While the University does not release individual disciplinary results of any student, the sanctions from Butler Library include probation, suspensions (ranging from one year to three years), degree revocations, and expulsions.”
According to the New York Post, over 70 students will face penalties.
The White House is pressuring Columbia and similar universities to put an end to violent campus protests and hold protesters accountable for disruptive activity or face loss of funding. This marks another effort made by the university to comply with White House demands to ensure no loss of funding.
