• Nearly 80 Columbia University students face disciplinary actions for pro-Palestine protests.
• Punishments include suspensions, expulsions, and revocations of degrees.
• University cites disruptions to academic activities as grounds for their actions.
• Allegations indicate political pressure related to federal funding negotiations.
• Student group CUAD condemns the measures as excessive and politically motivated.

Columbia University has suspended or expelled nearly 80 students for their participation in pro-Palestine protests that included a takeover of Butler Library and a protest encampment during alumni weekend. These sanctions involve one to three-year suspensions, expulsions, and revocations of academic degrees as a response to claimed violations of university policies regarding disruptions to academic activities, particularly during crucial exam periods, according to Indiatimes, TRT Global, and Reuters.

The university's disciplinary measures have sparked significant backlash from student groups, particularly the Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), which claims that these actions represent the largest number of suspensions for a single political protest in the institution's history. CUAD contends that the expelling and suspending of students are reactions to political pressures tied to ongoing negotiations with the Trump administration over $400 million in federal funding, as stated in Al Jazeera and Middle East Eye.

The university management has described these disruptions as serious violations necessitating consequences to maintain a thriving academic environment. Columbia urged that disruptions from demonstrations directly impede the academic mission and effectiveness of the university, according to Indiatimes and Reuters.

This crackdown follows allegations from students and civil liberty advocates that the motivations behind these disciplinary actions stem from the Trump administration's agenda to restrict pro-Palestinian activism on U.S. campuses. Critics, including CUAD, argue that the sanctions are politically motivated efforts to suppress dissent in the wake of the national outcry against the U.S. government's policy towards Israel and Palestine, as reported by Al Jazeera and Middle East Eye.

Furthermore, the university agreed to adopt stringent policies—including a controversial definition of antisemitism that conflates criticism of Israel with antisemitism. The measures have raised concerns over academic freedom and the right to protest, particularly among pro-Palestinian student activists who argue that the administration has compromised educational integrity for political favor, according to Indiatimes, TRT Global, and Middle East Eye.