NEW YORK CITY—Protesters gathered outside of Columbia University in Manhattan on March 14 to make their voices heard about recent actions the college has taken against its students.
Columbia University announced on March 13 that a number of students who had participated in the 2024 takeover of Hamilton Hall had been expelled or suspended and that several graduates had their diplomas temporarily rescinded.
The president of Columbia, Dr. Katrina Armstrong, sent out an email that same day that said the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had entered two University residencies. No arrests were made, no items were taken, and no further actions were made, according to the email.
Students, activists, and even some elderly joined ranks to protest these events on the sidewalks outside of Columbia. They chanted their demands in the warm spring air, “Columbia drop the act, we demand our students back,” “Resistance is glorious, we will be victorious,” and the pro-Palestinian, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
The protesters claimed that 28 people had been affected by Columbia’s decision to punish the people who took over Hamilton’s all, of whom nine people were expelled.
One masked man addressed the crowd and said that he was one of the expelled students.
“Yesterday, I was expelled from Colombia, along with nearly dozens of others who were expelled, suspended, or had their degrees revoked,” he said, accusing the university of greed and corruption.
He talked about how the pro-Palestinian protesters have the heart to keep going in the face of opposition and suggested people create rapid response groups to keep ICE out of their neighborhoods and create safe houses. He ended his speech with a call to free Khalil, a graduate student at Columbia University who was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on March 9.
The expelled student did not confirm their name with The Epoch Times.
