A few days after the arrest ofMahmoud Khalil, a leader of thepro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University in New York, the university's administration called an urgent meeting for foreign students and senior faculty members on Thursday. The message was clear: international students must refrain from publishing content related to Gaza, Ukraine and protests sparked by Khalil's arrest.
The meeting took place in the Pulitzer Building, one of the university's landmarks. The room was packed, with a tense atmosphere. Some students took notes while others stared in shock at the speakers.
Pro-Palestinian protests outside Trump Tower
Prof. Stuart Carl, an expert on the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment, told students that the Trump administration's new policy of deporting international students who joined protests against Israel could jeopardize their academic futures and personal freedom.
"If you have a social media account, don't be filled with articles about the Middle East," Carl warned. When a Palestinian student objected, Journalism School Dean Jelani Cobb was even more direct: "No one can protect you. This is a dangerous time."
"All eyes are on us," wrote President Katrin Armstrong in a letter to students. A university once known for its free speech and activism had become a battleground against the administration, with its financial and academic future uncertain.
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הפגנה פרו-פלסטינית בעד מחמוד חליל מנהיג המחאה ב אוניברסיטת קולומביה מחוץ לבית משפט ב ניו יורק ארה"ב 12 במרץהפגנה פרו-פלסטינית בעד מחמוד חליל מנהיג המחאה ב אוניברסיטת קולומביה מחוץ לבית משפט ב ניו יורק ארה"ב 12 במרץ
Pro-Palestinian rally at Columbia University
(Photo: Michael M. Santiago / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)
Khalil’s arrest, as a permanent resident with a green card, heightened the tension. According to the White House, Khalil is expected to be deported as part of a tougher stance against students labeled "pro-terrorist and anti-American." The administration also demanded that Columbia provide information on students involved in "pro-Hamas activities," but received no response.
Protests against the decision quickly followed. Pro-Palestinian student groups, along with Jewish activists from theJewish Voice for Peace organization, demonstrated outside Trump Tower in Manhattan. Dozens of them entered the lobby, chanting "Fight Nazis, not students" and "Stop arming Israel."
Reports from the scene indicated that around 200 protesters in red shirts, some wearing white kippahs, including Holocaust survivors and Jewish students, called for Khalil's release and an end to the "attack" on pro-Palestinian activists.
Building security appeared powerless as protesters took over the lobby and climbed railings. The event was streamed live on social media and more than 100 were eventually arrested.
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הפגנה פרו-פלסטינית בעד מחמוד חליל מנהיג המחאה ב אוניברסיטת קולומביה מחוץ לבית משפט ב ניו יורק ארה"ב 12 במרץהפגנה פרו-פלסטינית בעד מחמוד חליל מנהיג המחאה ב אוניברסיטת קולומביה מחוץ לבית משפט ב ניו יורק ארה"ב 12 במרץ
Pro-Palestinian rally at Columbia University
(Photo: CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP)
Meanwhile, the Trump administration’s federal task force on combating antisemitism announced it was considering freezing funds for mayors across the U.S., including those in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Boston.
The team is set to meet with mayors and local law enforcement officials "to discuss their response to antisemitism in schools and universities in their jurisdictions." Leo Terrell, the team’s leader, stressed, "Too many public officials have chosen not to confront the wave of antisemitism since October 7. Actions have consequences. So do inactions."