Columbia suspends students for ‘Resistance 101’ event where speakers praised Hamas

NEW YORK JEWISH WEEK — Columbia University’s president says students have been suspended for an event last month that saw speakers praise Hamas and other terror groups.

Four students have been suspended over the event, according to the Columbia Spectator, the campus newspaper.

The student-led event, titled “Resistance 101,” drew harsh criticism, including from members of Congress who were already investigating the uptown university for alleged antisemitism on campus. The suspensions mark a significant step in Columbia’s response to anti-Israel activities that have rocked the campus since October 7.

Columbia President Minouche Shafik acknowledges in a statement that the “Resistance 101” event featured speakers who “support terrorism and promote violence,” and that administrators had already prohibited the event twice.

“I want to state for the record that this event is an abhorrent breach of our values,” Shafik says in the statement.

She adds, “I did not become a university president to punish students. At the same time, actions like this on our campus must have consequences. That I would ever have to declare the following is in itself surprising, but I want to make clear that it is absolutely unacceptable for any member of this community to promote the use of terror or violence.”

Despite the ban on the event, students held the discussion in a campus residential facility. In response, the university notified law enforcement and contracted an outside investigation firm, Shafik said.

The Spectator reported that four students have been indefinitely suspended and evicted from university housing over charges from the university, including disruptive behavior, endangerment, violation of law and violation of university policy.

The suspended students were given 24 hours to vacate their university housing. They will not be able to attend classes, participate in extracurricular activities or access the campus on their own, the Spectator reported.

Shafik says in her statement that the investigation was ongoing.