Columbia Sued by Groups Suspended Over Gaza Protest

The suit comes from student groups opposed to war in Gaza
Columbia was also sued twice last month over antisemitism

People protest the banning of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) at Columbia University in 2023. — People protest the banning of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) at Columbia University in 2023.
Photographer: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

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By Ethan M Steinberg

March 12, 2024 at 4:55 PM UTC

Corrected

March 14, 2024 at 5:05 PM UTC

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Columbia University was sued by a pair of student groups that were suspended last year after a demonstration opposing the war in Gaza, the latest in a growing list of lawsuits the school faces over the hot-button topics of antisemitism and Palestinian rights.

The suit, brought by Columbia’s chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace, claims the university violated its own policies by suspending the student groups after a November protest that violated school policies. They are seeking to restore funds they lost as a result of the suspension, according to the complaint filed in New York state court Monday.