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Palestinian supporters, including Mahmoud Khalil demonstrate during an old protest at Columbia University (File photo from AP)
Following the arrest of a prominent
Palestinian campus activist
Mahmoud Khalil by
immigration officials
,
Columbia University
's administrators convened students and faculty from the journalism school to deliver a cautionary message.
Stuart Karle, a First Amendment lawyer and adjunct professor, advised non-US citizen students to refrain from publishing content about the Gaza Strip, Ukraine and protests related to their former classmate's arrest. With graduation approaching, their academic achievements and personal liberty could face jeopardy under the
Trump administration
's scrutiny, warned Karle. "If you have a social media page, make sure it is not filled with commentary on the Middle East," he said, addressing the assembly in Pulitzer Hall.
When a Palestinian student raised objections, Jelani Cobb, the journalism school's dean, spoke frankly about the institution's limitations in protecting international students from federal action. "Nobody can protect you," Cobb said. "These are dangerous times."
Additionally, in an interview Wednesday, quoted by the NYT, Cobb said he and his colleagues were trying to make it clear to their students at the town hall that they were in a moment of great risk. "We were giving a brutally honest rendering of what the landscape is right now," he said.
Columbia University has struggled to maintain equilibrium between free expression and student safety during two academic years of student protests against the Gaza war.
The situation intensified last week when the Trump administration withdrew $400 million in federal grants and contracts, citing the university's alleged failure to address antisemitism. Columbia's interim president indicated this would affect "nearly every corner of the university."
The following day, immigration authorities arrested recent graduate Khalil and removed him from university accommodation. President Donald Trump announced the revocation of Khalil's green card and impending deportation.
Columbia University- A 'centre' for campus protests in US
Situated near major media outlets, Columbia emerged as the focal point of nationwide student protests last year. Their demonstrations sparked comparable protests at universities throughout the United States.
Students supporting Palestinian liberation set up a camp at the university's centre in April, protesting the Gaza war and calling for the university to withdraw from "all economic and academic stakes in Israel," including their joint programme with Tel Aviv University.
Whilst most protests at Columbia remained non-violent, the growing encampment and student passion led some faculty and students to perceive the distinction between anti-Zionism and antisemitism becoming increasingly unclear.
Jewish students reported feeling unsafe on campus due to encampment displays supporting the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Specific antisemitism claims arose, including a controversial incident where a student protest leader stated, "Zionists don't deserve to live." (He was later suspended.)
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has historically created tension at Columbia. The university features significant student groups supporting both sides, a prominent Middle Eastern studies programme, and maintains a dual degree arrangement with Tel Aviv University.
Columbia's legacy includes notable student activism since the 1960s and was home to Edward Said, the distinguished literary scholar and Palestinian advocate who authored "Orientalism".
In the early 2000s, the university faced controversy over claims that pro-Palestinian academics had intimidated pro-Israel students. However, an academic panel investigation found no antisemitism evidence.
Meanwhile, the present situation exceeds previous disagreements in scale. The Department of Education recently issued notices to 60 universities under investigation for breaching federal protections against "antisemitic discrimination and harassment".
These institutions, ranging from Harvard University to the University of Tennessee, face "potential enforcement actions". However, Columbia faces unprecedented scrutiny and risks losing substantial federal funding over antisemitism allegations.
