Columbia University has indefinitely suspended four students for participating in an unauthorized campus talk led by a man suspected of having ties to a group designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, according to reports.
The event, dubbed “Resistance 101,” was led by prominent Palestinian activist Khalid Barakat, who appeared via video to discuss the conflict in Gaza that erupted in the aftermath of the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
Students identified as participants in the meeting were removed from campus housing on Wednesday and given only 24 hours to leave, according to the campus newspaper. columbia spectator.
During the meeting, Barakat, who is accused of being a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, spoke about conversations with “Hamas, Islamic Jihad, PFLP, friends and compatriots, especially after October 7.” How excited we are to see American student groups protesting on our behalf.
“They don’t care about what Biden says or what Kamala Harris says… Their focus is actually stopping Israeli aggression and defeating Israel,” Barakat said during the meeting. Stated.
“When I see students organizing outside of Palestine, I feel supported and supported as a resistance. Every demonstration in New York matters for Gaza. For the resistance in Gaza. Your job is more important than ever,” he said.
Columbia University used an outside firm to conduct an investigation into the gathering, and four students found to have attended the event were charged with violating campus policies, endangering conduct, disruptive behavior, and other charges, University President Minoush Shafiq said. The Spectator newspaper reported that he was charged with.
“On March 24, an event that the university has already banned twice took place in a residential facility on campus. It featured a speaker known to support terrorism and promote violence,” the university said in a statement. Rector Shafik said in a statement.
“I would like to state for the record that this incident was an abhorrent violation of our values.”
Six students were initially suspended, but two of them were later lifted. The president said the investigation into the incident is still ongoing.
“We recognize that our campus is deeply shaken by the war between Israel and Hamas, which began with the horrific Hamas terrorist attack in Israel on October 7 and is now unfolding as a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. “Yes,” Shafik said, adding, although she didn’t say so. It is not intended to punish students, but there must be consequences for actions that violate campus policies.
A campus investigation is also underway into an unsanctioned pro-Palestinian demonstration on April 4 that drew more than 100 participants.
At the event, one of the students who was suspended for participating in a “Resistance 101” rally with Mr. Barakat said he had lost his full scholarship to a master’s degree program in Middle Eastern studies because of his participation.
According to the Spectator, she “left behind her community, her partners, her job, her whole life, on Columbia’s promise of a full scholarship to pursue Palestinian studies.”
“Colombia is not only an institution of complicity, but also an institution of violence.”
