US university suspends anti-Zionist groups

COLUMBIA University has suspended two anti-Zionist student groups following campus-wide protests on the Israel-Hamas war that saw walk-outs and mass demonstrations.

The New York institution’s authorities said it was suspending the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) groups after unauthorised events on Thursday that included “threatening rhetoric and intimidation”.

Gerald Rosberg, Columbia’s vice president and chairman of its campus safety committee, said both groups would be suspended until the beginning of next term and cannot hold events on campus or receive university funding in the meantime.

It comes after mass student protests at campuses across the US saw proPalestinian groups project “glory to our martyrs” on to university buildings and clashes between groups supporting different sides in the conflict. At Harvard, dozens of student groups signed an open letter declaring Israel “entirely responsible for all unfolding violence”, on the day last month that Hamas launched its terror attacks.

Students at UCLA, in California, were filmed beating an effigy of Benjamin Netanyahu while chanting: “Beat that f------ Jew”, while at the University of Massachusetts, a student was arrested after allegedly punching a Jewish student and spitting on an Israeli flag.

At Columbia, both groups banned by the university are anti-Zionist and were accused by the university’s authorities of putting other students in danger.

“This decision was made after the two groups repeatedly violated university policies related to holding campus events, culminating in an unauthorised event on Thursday that proceeded despite warnings and included threatening rhetoric and intimidation,” Mr Rosberg said in a statement.

“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.”

Thursday’s protests saw mass gatherings on campus and students walking out of their lectures.

The campus protests have also become a political talking point, especially among candidates for the Republican presidential nomination ahead of next year’s election. At Wednesday’s GOP primary debate, candidates accused the groups of “siding with Hamas”, threatened to deport participants on student visas and compared them to members of the Ku Klux Klan.

‘Decision made after the groups repeatedly violated university policies related to holding campus events’