Columbia U’s Suspension of Pro-Hamas Student Groups SJP & JVP Remain in Effect

Edited by: TJVNews.com

Columbia University’s decision to suspend its chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) in November has sparked controversy amongst left-wing, anti-Israel groups and the administration. Despite the commencement of the new semester, the two pro-Hamas groups remain suspended as they grapple with the university’s conditions for reinstatement, as was reported by the New York Jewish Week.

The suspension, announced in November, outlined a path to potential reinstatement in the spring semester if the groups demonstrated a “commitment to compliance with university policies,” according to the NYJW report. However, recent developments indicate that the SJP and JVP have not yet agreed to adhere to the university’s rules, hindering their return to campus activities.

Students for Justice in Palestine @Columbia chant for the Houthis, a Designated Terrorist Organization https://t.co/no7Cdn6o8f, whose appalling slogan is in the thread. Hopefully most are not actual students@ShaiDavidai @YunaLeibzon @NeriaKraus @AvivaKlompas @GreenblattJD pic.twitter.com/YdTcvi1mje

— Gil Zussman (@gil_zussman) January 19, 2024

A university official disclosed that administrative staff had engaged in discussions with representatives from the suspended groups regarding steps to end the suspension. The official emphasized that the groups must “fully comply with the university’s long-standing policies and procedures” to regain recognition, as was indicated in the NYJW report. The university has maintained that the suspension was a response to the groups’ alleged violation of policies, citing “threatening rhetoric and intimidation.”

The suspension carries significant consequences for the pro-Hamas student groups. As a result, they are currently ineligible for university funding and cannot organize authorized events on campus, the report in the NYJW said.

The SJP, in a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), accused the university of attempting to “intimidate and harass Palestinian students from speaking out about genocide,” the NYJW report noted. The group pledged to be louder in the face of what they perceive as attempts to silence them. However, both SJP and JVP have not officially responded to requests for comment on the ongoing situation.

The suspensions occurred amid heightened tensions on college campuses following the October 7 Hamas onslaught on Israel that left 1200 Israeli dead in a brutal slaughter and the subsequent war in Gaza. According to the NYJW report, the university alleged that the two pro-Hamas groups had violated policies during this period, contributing to a significant crackdown on their activities.

Huge march at @Columbia led by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), chanting for genocide. SJP was previously suspended by university administration but continues to openly organize on campus. The university has taken no action to enforce their suspension. https://t.co/sTPV966X6p

— The FAI Wire (@FAI_Wire) January 19, 2024

Leading up to the suspension, SJP and JVP organized protests, including a “die-in” in front of the Low Library, calling for a ceasefire and demanding an end to Columbia’s dual degree program with Tel Aviv University, the report in the NYJW indicated.  Additionally, SJP promoted a nine-hour sit-in at the Columbia School of Social Work, which reportedly violated school rules. Columbia’s senior executive vice president, Gerald Rosberg, cited repeated violations of university policies related to holding campus events as the primary reason for the suspension.

Rosberg pointed to a specific rally that proceeded despite warnings and included what he described as “threatening rhetoric and intimidation.” This incident, along with ongoing policy violations, led to the university’s decision to suspend the pro-Hamas student groups.

In response to the suspension, SJP and JVP issued a statement asserting their commitment to the causes they champion. As was noted in the NYJW report, they declared that while the university could shut down their organizations, it could not stop their hearts from “beating for liberation, humanity, and the freedom of Palestine.”

Samantha Slater, a university spokesperson, expressed the administration’s hope to bring the non-complying groups back into compliance with university policies. The emphasis was on working with official advisers to ensure campus safety for all.

The controversy at Columbia unfolded against the backdrop of increased tensions on college campuses regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Other elite universities, including Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, faced scrutiny after university presidents testified before Congress about policies related to calls for the genocide of Jews, the NYJW said. This sparked a broader controversy, resulting in the resignations of Penn’s and Harvard’s presidents.

Students for Justice in Palestine, whose national umbrella celebrated Hamas’s actions on October 7, has faced suspensions at several schools, including Florida’s public universities, George Washington University, and Brandeis University.

Notably, Columbia’s suspension of Jewish Voice for Peace appears to be the first instance of a university suspending the Jewish anti-Zionist group, according to the NYJW report.