Palestinian students and staff sue Columbia University over discrimination

A group of current and former Palestinian students and staff have sued Columbia University, accusing the Ivy League school of discriminating against Palestinians and targeting pro-Palestinian activism on campus.

The lawsuit, filed in New York State Supreme Court this week, alleges that Columbia subjected Palestinian students, faculty and staff to unequal treatment following the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on 7 October 2023 and the ensuing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza perpetrated by Israel.

According to the complaint, Columbia "actively participated in and amplified" what the plaintiffs describe as racially, ethnically and politically motivated targeting of Palestinians.

Mahmoud Khalil, the Palestinian activist and former Columbia graduate student, also highlighted the lawsuit on X, saying Palestinian students were suing the university over alleged discrimination in its response to the protests in support of Palestinians and Gaza.

Proud of my fellow Palestinian students and faculty suing @Columbia for its abhorrent discrimination against Palestinians and anyone who stands with us.

— Mahmoud Khalil | محمود خليل (@mahmoudkhalel) August 10, 2026

Columbia chose to reward those who attacked us and to silence its own community while Israel bombed and starved Gaza. We will… https://t.co/XPtRQusYFJ

The plaintiffs say the university failed to adequately protect Palestinian members of its community from harassment while subjecting pro-Palestinian activists to "unfair and biased disciplinary hearings".

Columbia declined to comment on the pending litigation, according to local media, and did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Among the allegations is that Columbia hired private investigators to surveil students involved in the March 2024 "Resistance 101" event. Six students were subsequently suspended and evicted from university housing, according to the lawsuit.

The filing also accuses the university of failing to adequately respond to alleged physical attacks against Palestinians, including incidents in which students had their keffiyehs forcibly removed and the January 2024 spraying of a foul-smelling substance at a pro-Palestinian demonstration.

The lawsuit also challenges Columbia's decision to call New York City police onto campus to dismantle pro-Palestinian protest encampments and arrest demonstrators in 2024.

The plaintiffs include lecturer and former anthropology student Hadeel Assali; former lecturer Bahia Munem; PhD student Mahdi Sabbagh; 2025 graduate and former student organiser Maryam Alwan; and Layla Saliba, who graduated from Columbia's School of Social Work in 2025.

Saliba was among Palestinian students who had previously accused Columbia of discrimination in a federal civil rights complaint filed in 2024. At the time, she said Palestinian students were being treated poorly and called on the university to recognise anti-Palestinian racism.

Columbia under pressure

The case comes after years of controversy over Columbia's handling of protests against Israel's war on Gaza.

In July 2025, Columbia reached a deal with the Trump administration to resolve federal investigations into alleged violations of anti-discrimination law and restore federal research funding that had been frozen by the government.

Under the agreement, the university agreed to pay $200m to the US government and another $21m to settle Equal Employment Opportunity Commission investigations concerning allegations of antisemitism against Jewish employees. Columbia did not admit wrongdoing or agree with the government's conclusion that it had violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.

The university also settled a separate lawsuit brought by Jewish plaintiffs in February 2026 alleging that Columbia had failed to protect Jewish and Israeli students from antisemitism.

Palestinian activists and free-speech groups, meanwhile, have repeatedly accused Columbia of disproportionately punishing opposition to Israel. Reuters reported that students have faced arrests, suspensions, expulsions and degree revocations during the university's crackdown on pro-Palestinian protests.

The new lawsuit seeks monetary damages under New York City's Human Rights Law, which prohibits discrimination and harassment on grounds including race and national origin.