A pro-Palestinian group has filed a federal lawsuit against Columbia University, alleging that anti-Israel protesters from the extremist group Students for Justice in Palestine are being harassed on campus.
The complaints come as Jewish community leaders and Jewish students say they don’t feel safe at the Ivy League school, where hundreds of protesters are camping in tents on the lawn. It came out inside.
As a result, university administrators have announced that students will have the option of taking classes online for the rest of the year.
However, the Palestinian court complaint On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights announced that four pro-Palestinian students and the Palestinian student group Columbia Students for Justice were the real victims.
The group is calling for an investigation into the university’s response to allegations of discrimination and harassment against pro-Palestinian students by Columbia University students, professors, and administrators under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
“As a Palestinian student, I have been harassed, singled out, taunted, and discriminated against by other students and professors simply because of my identity and for asserting my rights and freedoms. It was because of my efforts,” said Mariam Alwan, one of the Palestinians. Four students filed the lawsuit.
“I am appalled by Columbia University’s complete inability to protect me from racism and abuse, but more than that, the university arrested me for peacefully protesting Israeli atrocities in Gaza. And by suspending them from school, they are also contributing to this oppression,” she said. Added.
Anti-Israel students have been the target of extreme anti-Palestinian, anti-Arab, and Islamophobic behavior on campus since October 9, 2023, and have been called terrorists and ‘Jew killers’ as well as multiple “I have also received death threats.” ”
Additionally, the students allege that they received special treatment from high-ranking administrators, including Columbia University President Minoush Shafik.
“Despite students filing dozens of complaints, Columbia University has taken no meaningful steps to end the harassment, prevent its occurrence, or remediate its effects,” the complaint states. Says.
As an example cited by Palestine Legal, on April 18, the campus “invited the New York City Police Department (NYPD) to campus for the first time in decades, leading to the arrest of more than 100 protesters.” One example is Shafik’s decision to clear a large anti-Israel camp. The complaint shows.
Meanwhile, Jewish students were furious Friday after Columbia University missed two deadlines to clear campus, but an encampment of pro-Palestinian student demonstrators remained.
Palestine Legal Affairs Bureau, in partnership with the New York City Civil Liberties Union, March lawsuit Columbia University alleges it illegally suspended chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voices for Peace for their peaceful protests.
Colombia declined to comment. The Palestinian Authority for Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did the DOE.
