On Feb. 26, several dozen pro-Palestinian students stormed Millbank Hall and staged a sit-in at the office of Barnard College Dean Leslie Grinage to protest the expulsion of two students in January, according to the Columbia Spectator (Barnard and Columbia are longtime historically partner schools). Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine posted on X four demands—reversing the January expulsion of two students, drop all charges against any pro-Palestinian activities or thoughts, a meeting with administrators that is open to the public, and transparency in the Barnard disciplinary process. Columbia University was a focal point of student protests in the spring of 2024 against the genocide in Gaza.
In the closing months of the Biden administration, there was a heavy-handed campaign by government officials and pro-Israel lobbying groups, such as AIPAC, to characterize all protests against Gaza genocide as “anti-Semitic.” The Trump administration has done the same, passing an Executive Order to that effect and activating the Department of Justice to silence protests.
