Columbia starts suspending students who defied deadline to leave anti-Israel encampment

Student demonstrators at Columbia University, the epicenter of pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel protests that have erupted at US colleges, have begun to be suspended after defying an ultimatum to disperse.

Authorities at the prestigious university in New York demanded that the protest encampment be cleared by 2:00 p.m. local time, or students would face disciplinary action.

“These repulsive scare tactics mean nothing compared to the deaths of over 34,000 Palestinians,” said a statement, read out by a student — who would not give his name — at a press conference after the deadline, quoting an unverified Hamas-issued toll. “We will not move until Columbia meets our demands or… are moved by force.”

A few hours later, Columbia vice president of communications Ben Chang says the university has “begun suspending students as part of this next phase of our efforts to ensure safety on our campus.”

He says the students have been warned they will be “placed on suspension, ineligible to complete the semester or graduate, and will be restricted from all academic, residential and recreational spaces.”