Civil liberties group sues Columbia University over suspension of pro-Palestinian groups

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) and Palestine Legal announced a lawsuit Tuesday against Columbia University for the school’s suspension of two student groups opposed to the war in the Gaza Strip.

"Universities should be havens for robust debate, discussion, and learning — not sites of censorship where administrators, donors, and politicians squash political discourse they don’t approve of,” Executive Director of NYCLU Donna Lieberman said in a statement.

The groups were suspended after they organized a Nov. 9 student walkout, which the university said was "unauthorized" and the groups had "repeatedly violated" school policies.

NYCLU said the groups were “unlawfully” suspended for “engaging in peaceful protest” supporting Palestinian rights.

"These student groups were peacefully speaking out on a critical global conflict, only to have Columbia University ignore their own longstanding, existing rules and abruptly suspend the organizations...Students protesting at private colleges still have the right to fair, equal treatment — and we are ready to fight that battle in court," said Lieberman.

Maryam Alwan, an organizer with the school’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, said Columbia University has a robust history of peaceful protest, from 1968 to 1985, that "it now champions solely in retrospect and when convenient."

"As a Palestinian-American student, I should have the same right to speak out on my campus as everyone else—and no amount of targeted policy changes or illegitimate suspensions will prevent us from advocating for the Palestinian people,” added Alwan.

Cameron Jones, an organizer with Columbia’s chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace, said the university must protect all Jewish students and voices, not just those adhering to a specific political belief.

"The university's decision to suspend a Jewish group sets a concerning precedent for safeguarding free speech on college campuses. It not only took away our rights as a club, but told us that our university does not support or respect anti-Zionist Jews or their beliefs," said Jones.

In February, NYCLU said in a letter to Columbia that the groups were “unlawfully” suspended for “engaging in peaceful protest” supporting Palestinian rights, and urged the school to reinstate Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) chapters by March 1.

While private universities in New York are not bound by the First Amendment, New York’s highest court has established that disciplinary actions of any university in the state against students or student organizations must proceed in accordance with the school’s rules and guidelines, according to a statement.