New York's Barnard College expels two students over pro-Palestinian protests

By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Columbia University-affiliated Barnard College has expelled two students over pro-Palestinian protests that a protesting group said marked the first official expulsion on campus over the Israel-Gaza war and which the educational institution called a consequence of unsanctioned classroom disruption.

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

Israel's military assault on Gaza after an October 2023 Hamas attack has led to protests in the U.S. for months demanding an end to Washington's support for Israel.

Activist group Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) said the step marked the first official expulsions by a Columbia affiliate.

KEY QUOTES

CUAD called the expulsion a "serious escalation in the crackdown against students advocating for disinvestment from the Israeli war machine."

Columbia University said a "History of Modern Israel" class last month was disrupted by protesters handing out fliers including "violent imagery."

The university said on Monday it referred two participants in that activity, who were from an affiliated institution, to their home institution for discipline and barred them from campus.

"Expulsion is always an extraordinary measure, but so too is our commitment to respect, inclusion, and the integrity of the academic experience," Barnard College said.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh; Editing by Christopher Cushing)

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