A pro-Palestinian group has revenge a national suit against Columbia University — saying anti-Israel protesters pinch nan extremist group Students for Justice successful Palestine are nan ones being harassed connected campus.
The title comes arsenic Jewish organization leaders and Jewish students person spoken retired to opportunity they do not consciousness safe astatine nan Ivy League schoolhouse pinch hundreds of protesters camping retired successful tents connected nan lawn, prompting assemblage administrators to let students to return their classes online for nan remainder of nan year.
But, Palestine Legal — which revenge nan complaint Thursday pinch nan U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights — said that 4 pro-Palestinian students and nan student group Columbia Students for Justice successful Palestine are nan existent victims.
The group calls for an investigation into nan university’s handling of alleged favoritism and harassment against pro-Palestinian students by Columbia students, professors and administrators nether Title VI of nan Civil Rights Act of 1964.
“As a Palestinian student, I’ve been harassed, doxxed, shouted down and discriminated against by chap students and professors — simply because of my personality and my committedness to advocating for my ain authorities and freedoms,” said Maryam Alwan, 1 of nan 4 students represented successful nan suit.
“I’m horrified astatine nan measurement Columbia has utterly grounded to protect maine from racism and abuse, but beyond that, nan assemblage has besides played a domiciled successful this repression by having maine arrested and suspended for peacefully protesting Israel’s genocide successful Gaza,” she added.
The anti-Israel students declare they person been “the target of utmost anti-Palestinian, anti-Arab and Islamophobic harassment connected field since Oct. 9, 2023, including receiving aggregate decease threats arsenic good arsenic being called terrorists and ‘Jew killers.'”
Plus, nan students allege they person been treated otherwise by high-ranking administrators, including Columbia President Minouche Shafik.
“Despite students filing dozens of complaints, Columbia has grounded to return meaningful steps to extremity nan harassment, forestall it from occurring, aliases remedy its effects,” nan title said.
An illustration Palestine Legal cites was Shafik’s determination to clear a ample field anti-Israel encampment April 18 by “inviting nan New York Police Department (NYPD) onto field for nan first clip successful decades, starring to nan apprehension of much than 100 protesters,” nan title indicates.
Meanwhile, Jewish students were outraged Friday arsenic nan pro-Palestine student protesters’ encampment was still location contempt Columbia’s deadline for it to evict nan field coming and going — twice.
Palestine Legal collaborated pinch nan New York City Liberties Union successful a March lawsuit against Columbia for what they telephone nan unlawful suspension of its chapters of Students for Justice successful Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace for engaging successful serene protest.
Columbia declined to comment. Palestine Legal didn’t instantly respond to a petition for comment, nor did DOE.
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