Columbia University suspends anti-Israel student groups over threats and intimidation

The two student groups, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) will be suspended effective immediately until at least the end of the Fall Semester, university officials said, according to Fox News.

Columbia University claims that 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."

On Thursday, Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace held "unauthorized" anti-Israel demonstrations on campus that included a "die-in" demonstration and a student walkout. During the walkout, the groups demanded officials at Columbia University to label Israel's retaliation against the Hamas terrorist attacks a "genocide."

Gerald Rosberg, Senior Executive Vice President of the University, released a statement explaining the decision to suspend the groups.

"Suspension means the two groups will not be eligible to hold events on campus or receive University funding. Lifting the suspension will be contingent on the two groups demonstrating a commitment to compliance with University policies and engaging in consultations at a group leadership level with University officials," he wrote.

On Oct. 7, the day Hamas terrorists invaded Israel at daybreak and slaughtered more than 1400 men, women, and children in the most heinous act of terror Israel has seen since 1973. The Columbia chapter for Students for Justice in Palestine celebrated the terrorist attacks and called it "an unprecedented historic moment for the Palestinians of Gaza."

The student group slammed those critical of the Hamas terrorist attacks and said it was justified because "nothing else is working" to free the Palestinians from what they call an "occupation."

The university's student newspaper, the Columbia Spectator, reported that "University event policy generally requires groups to apply for permits at least 10 days in advance of any demonstration or protest in order to hold events on school grounds."

The Spectator explained that VP Rosberg met with students on Wednesday who were participating in a sit-in and "called in University delegates to tell participants they were in violation of a rule in the University code of conduct which prohibits actions that 'interrupt, shout down, or otherwise disrupt an event or to obstruct the view of the speaker.'"

Columbia University's response to the Hamas terrorist attacks has received nationwide attention due to its Ivy League anti-Israel student groups' controversial statements.

Last month, more than 100 Columbia professors signed a letter that defended the university's pro-Palestinian student groups that came under fire for celebrating the Hamas terrorist attacks, according to the New York Post.

However, one professor gained notoriety for criticizing the school's response to incidents of antisemitism on campus. One such incident involved a Jewish student who was attacked with a stick after criticizing a woman tearing down posters of people held hostage by Hamas in Gaza, which includes children, Fox News reports.

Henry Swieca, a Jewish billionaire and philanthropist, announced his resignation from the Board of Columbia Business School last month. Swieca condemned the Ivy League university for fostering an environment that made Jewish students feel unsafe on campus and claimed the institution expressed "moral cowardice," according to the outlet.

Swieca described the recent attacks by Hamas on Israel as "revolting" and said that the school's remarks are "meaningless" in light of the fact that "pro-Hamas students" are permitted to march on campus and shout slogans demanding the termination of the Jewish state.