Image source: Reuters. A view of the main campus of Columbia University

A group of current and former Palestinian students and staff members has sued Columbia University, accusing the institution of discriminatory treatment of its Palestinian community since late 2023.

The lawsuit, filed in New York, alleges that Columbia failed to adequately protect Palestinian members of its university community from harassment while subjecting them to what the plaintiffs describe as unfair and biased disciplinary proceedings. The case adds a new legal challenge to a university that has been at the centre of intense disputes over Palestinian rights, campus protests, antisemitism and free expression since the outbreak of the Gaza war.

Allegations of Harassment and Unequal Treatment

According to the complaint, Palestinian students and staff were not sufficiently protected from harassment on campus. The plaintiffs also allege that the university’s disciplinary processes were applied against members of the Palestinian community in a discriminatory manner.

Columbia has previously denied acting discriminatorily and has condemned hate and harassment. The university reportedly declined to comment on the pending litigation and did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Columbia Became a Centre of Pro-Palestinian Protests

The dispute follows nearly three years of intense campus activism linked to the war in Gaza.

Protests spread across Columbia and other American universities after the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and Israel’s subsequent military campaign in Gaza. At Columbia, protesters called for an end to U.S. support for Israel and demanded that the university divest from companies they said supported Israel.

The demonstrations placed university administrators in the difficult position of balancing students’ rights to political expression and protest against concerns about campus safety, disruption and alleged antisemitism.

Supporters of the Palestinian movement, including some Jewish groups, have argued that criticism of Israel’s policies and advocacy for Palestinian rights should not automatically be treated as antisemitic or as support for extremism.

Disciplinary Crackdown

In May 2025, the university suspended more than 65 students over their involvement in a pro-Palestinian demonstration that shut down the university’s main library. The action occurred while Columbia was negotiating with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump after the federal government had cut funding to the university over allegations that it had failed to adequately address antisemitism associated with pro-Palestinian protests. In July 2025, the university agreed to pay more than $200 million to the U.S. government to restore most of its federal funding.

The crackdown has resulted in students facing arrests, suspensions, expulsions and, in some cases, revocation of academic degrees. Free-speech organisations have criticised Columbia’s approach, arguing that disciplinary measures against protesters can have implications for academic freedom and constitutionally protected expression.

Source: Reuters