Rally held at Columbia University over suspension of pro-Palestinian groups
NEW YORK -- A rally was being held Tuesday night at Columbia University in solidarity with two student groups who were suspended for the fall semester after what the school calls an unauthorized event last week in support of Palestinians.
The event was organized by the Palestinian Student Union.
Students gathered on campus said they support the groups "Students for Justice in Palestine," or SJP, and "Jewish Voice for Peace," or JVP, after the official student groups were suspended.
In a statement, the Columbia's Special Committee on Campus Safety said, in part, "The two groups repeatedly violated university policies related to holding campus events, culminating in an unauthorized event Thursday afternoon that proceeded despite warnings and included threatening rhetoric and intimidation."
CBS New York reached out to the school to find out what specifically was said, but did not hear back.
The suspension means the two groups won't receive university funding or be able to hold events on campus.
The groups have posted statements on social media calling the ban an attack on "free speech" and "selective censorship of pro-Palestinian student organizations."
College campuses elsewhere have suspended students and arrested them over various protests over the war between Israel and Hamas -- from MIT to Brown. Some students have said they feel unsafe on their campus due to heated protests.
Columbia said in order to lift the suspension the two groups have to comply with school policies and "engage in consultations at a group leadership level with university officials," adding in the same statement, "We are strongly committed to giving space to student groups to participate in debate, advocacy, and protest."