Columbia University's administration announced Friday that it was suspending two pro-Palestinian student groups, accusing the groups of violating university rules for hosting on-campus events.
In a Friday statement, Gerald Rosberg, the senior executive vice president of the university and the chairman of the special committee on campus safety, announced that the Columbia chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace had been suspended for the remainder of the semester.
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"This decision was made after the two groups repeatedly violated University policies related to holding campus events, culminating in an unauthorized event Thursday afternoon that proceeded despite warnings and included threatening rhetoric and intimidation," Rosberg said in the announcement.
Both student groups, which have chapters at universities all over the country, have drawn intense scrutiny over the past month for statements and activities expressing support for Hamas's Oct. 7 terrorist attack in Israel. The attack claimed the lives of more than 1,000 Israeli citizens, some of whom were beheaded or raped.
Without institutional recognition, the Columbia student groups are prohibited from hosting events on the campus of the Ivy League institution. They are also barred from receiving university funding for group activities. The university said that in order for it to lift the suspension, the group must "demonstrat[e] a commitment to compliance with University policies and engaging in consultations at a group leadership level with University officials."
"Like all student groups, SJP and JVP are required to abide by University policies and procedures," Rosberg said in the announcement of the suspension. "This ensures both the safety of our community and that core University activities can be conducted without disruption. During this especially charged time on our campus, we are strongly committed to giving space to student groups to participate in debate, advocacy, and protest. This relies on community members abiding by the rules and cooperating with University administrators who have a duty to ensure the safety of everyone in our community."
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The suspension at Columbia is not the first attempt by the administration of a university to restrict the activities of a Students for Justice in Palestine chapter. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) directed the State University System of Florida to disband all chapters of the group, an action that campus free speech organizations, such as the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, have criticized.
The Washington Examiner has reached out to Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace for comment.