Media Roundup: Palestine Legal and NYCLU Sue Columbia University Over Student Group Suspension

On March 11th, the New York Civil Liberties Union and Palestine Legal announced a lawsuit against Columbia University for the unlawful suspension of its chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) for engaging in peaceful protest. 

Below is a media round-up of 5 key articles highlighting Columbia University’s anti-Palestinian repression in mainstream and independent outlets including: AP, The Intercept, Common Dreams, Middle East Eye, and Prism. 

AP / NBC

Columbia accused in lawsuit of singling out 2 pro-Palestinian groups by suspending them after protest | March 12

“Universities should be havens for robust debate, discussion, and learning — not sites of censorship where administrators, donors, and politicians squash political discourse they don’t approve of,” NYCLU executive director Donna Lieberman said in a news release.

Palestine Legal senior staff attorney Radhika Sainath said universities “must abide by their own rules and may not punish student groups speaking out for Palestinian rights in the moment when they are most essential -– even if donors and lobby groups complain.”

A Columbia spokesperson said university officials would decline to comment on pending litigation. The lawsuit says Columbia would lift the suspension if the two groups show sufficient commitment to following school rules and engaging with university officials.

The Intercept

More Than 20 Student Groups Protested. A Lawsuit Asks Why Columbia Only Suspended Two. | March 14

In November, Columbia University students staged a protest against Israel’s war on Gaza. There was a “die-in,” an art installation, and a list of demands, among them that the school administration publicly call for a ceasefire and divest from companies implicated in Israel’s violence. The protest concluded with students singing “We Shall Overcome.”

A day later, Columbia suspended two of the student groups who had co-sponsored the demonstration. Senior Executive Vice President Gerald Rosberg called it an “unauthorized event” that “proceeded despite warnings and included threatening rhetoric and intimidation.”

Now, those groups have sued the school. On Tuesday, the New York Civil Liberties Union and Palestine Legal filed a lawsuit against Columbia University, “for the unlawful suspension of its chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) for engaging in peaceful protest.” The groups seek reinstatement and a declaration that the school violated state law in carrying out the suspensions.

Common Dreams

Columbia Sued Over 'Retaliatory' Suspension of Pro-Palestine Student Groups | March 12

Palestine Legal staff attorney Radhika Sainath noted that "for decades, Columbia students have been at the forefront of speaking out against segregation, war, and apartheid and SJP and JVP sit squarely in this tradition."

"It is precisely because these principled students pose a threat to the status quo that they are being targeted for McCarthyist censorship, but the law does not allow it," Sainath asserted. "Universities must abide by their own rules and may not punish student groups speaking out for Palestinian rights in the moment when they are most essential—even if donors and lobby groups complain."

Middle East Eye

Columbia University sued over suspension of Palestinian and Jewish student groups | March 12

According to the lawsuit, on multiple occasions the university breached its established protocols to penalise SJP and JVP, "baselessly and irresponsibly" attributing allegations of threats and intimidation to the groups.

This has led to serious worries that the university's decisions were improperly influenced by the political viewpoints of the student organisations, particularly their advocacy for Palestinian rights, the lawsuit says.

Prism

Columbia University in legal battle over pro-Palestinian student group suspension | March 20

While the suspension was originally through the end of the fall semester, the university renewed SJP and JVP’s suspension past the fall term. On Feb. 29, NYCLU sent a letter to Columbia University asking administrators to reinstate SJP and JVP chapters or risk legal action.

Maryam Alwan, an organizer with Columbia’s chapter of SJP, said that Columbia and other Ivy League schools should not be seeking out students who care about justice or equality if they do not want to be held accountable to those ideals.