Columbia Palestine Solidarity: Legal Fund

Justice for Columbia and Barnard Students

Since October 2023, Columbia University and Barnard College have persecuted student protestors advocating for their schools to divest from the Israeli occupation and for a Free Palestine. Students, including Mahmoud Khalil, have been expelled, suspended, forcibly evicted from their homes, brutalized by police, punished through draconian disciplinary systems with no semblance of justice, and charged with baseless allegations.

Continued Disciplinary Repression

As part of their War on Protest, Columbia has created a secretive “Office of Institutional Equity” to accuse students, including Jewish students, of anti-semitism. While the Columbia Rules of University Conduct (CRUC) process is the appropriate body for discipline relating to protest, Columbia has used the Center for Student Success and Intervention (CSSI)—an office intended for use to prosecute cases of academic dishonesty and drunkenness at parties—to illegitimately punish student protestors. More recently, CRUC has been moved under the Provost’s office and replaced the discipline panel members (responsible for hearing the cases and determining sanctions) to exclude students and staff, and instead replace them with administrators.

Doxxing, Harassment, and Discrimination

Countless Palestinian students and pro-Palestine students have experienced discrimination, violence, harassment, and doxxing on the basis of their identity or perceived identity. Since the genocide began, Palestinian, Arab, Muslim, and other students of color have been disproportionately targeted by the University and its affiliates.

Police and Public Safety Brutality

Over a hundred Columbia and Barnard students were arrested at the on-campus encampment on April 18, 2024. Over a hundred students were arrested the night of the hyper-militarized raid of Hind’s Hall. Dozens more have been arrested during protests around Morningside campus and on Barnard College, with dozens of reports of police and public safety brutality.

Legal Action for the Student Movement

We are seeking several types of relief. First and foremost, we are seeking injunctive relief to stop Columbia and Barnard's coercive and abusive repression of Palestinians, Palestinian voices, and pro-Palestine students. We aim to pursue divestment and amnesty as two key goals in this litigation. Second, we are seeking monetary relief to compensate affected individuals and redress the harms of the last 17+ months.

We Need Your Help

Students involved in the Columbia student movement for Palestine, and those harmed by Columbia and Barnard’s disciplinary repression, will be retaining a firm to pursue legal actions for Palestinian and pro-Palestine student protestors and allied faculty. All donations from this GoFundMe will be paid to the retained law firm. We are interviewing law firms at the moment and will update the page once a legal team is retained.

*Legal fund to fight back against Columbia University, Barnard College, and government repression, primarily focused on First Amendment claims, breach of contract claims, civil rights and discrimination claims, and other legal remedies to redress student harms. Funds may be used for various expenses associated with the legal costs of civil litigation and legal defense.