Palestinian students and faculty file discrimination lawsuit against Columbia University

A coalition of current and former Palestinian students, faculty and staff has sued Columbia University, alleging the school failed to protect them from harassment and engaged in discriminatory practices after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.

A group of Palestinian-origin individuals affiliated with Columbia University—two former students, one current student, one faculty member and one former faculty member—has filed a lawsuit accusing the institution of discriminatory conduct following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. The filing alleges that Columbia hired private investigators to trace participants in a “Resistance 101” event and failed to act on reports of persistent doxxing and harassment directed at its Palestinian community.

The suit also condemns the university’s response to an on-campus encampment on April 17, 2024, which resulted in the New York Police Department arresting over 100 participants at Columbia’s request and imposing penalties including multi-year suspensions, temporary degree revocations and expulsions. According to the complaint, the Office of Institutional Equity rarely acknowledged or followed up on complaints from Palestinian students and staff, while pursuing antisemitism complaints aggressively.

The plaintiffs argue that Columbia not only neglected its legal duty to remediate a hostile environment but also amplified targeted harassment. Columbia has not issued a comment, and the lawsuit follows a prior $200 million settlement over federal antisemitism allegations.