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SvennoJ on 11 January 2025
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NYU issues one-year suspensions to students over peaceful Gaza sit-ins

New York University (NYU) has suspended nearly a dozen students for a year for participating in Gaza antiwar sit-in protests in December, a group of pro-Palestine staff members have said.

The notices went out on Wednesday, suspending 11 students until January 2026, in what the NYU Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine group called “a draconian case of collective punishment”.

“Those suspended thus far include students who participated in a sit-in in front of the administration offices on the 12th floor of Bobst Library and those who simply sat in the lobby of the library in solidarity,” a statement from the group read.

“The sit-in was to demand a meeting with administration officials regarding disclosure of and divestment from institutional investments in Israel,” it added.

Two NYU faculty members were also arrested during December’s sit-ins, despite the American Association of University Professors saying they were only there to ensure the student demonstrators’ safety.


A banner is placed on the ground as students and Palestine supporters protest outside New York University on December 12

Columbia law professor retires, cites pressure over her pro-Palestine activism

Professor Katherine Franke said in a statement that she had reached an agreement with Columbia University to leave her post, stating the institution had become a “toxic and hostile environment”.

Franke, a tenured law professor at the university, was being investigated in relation to her support for pro-Palestinian students following the outbreak of antiwar protests on campus in spring 2024.

Franke was also one of several faculty members the university was investigating over allegations of anti-Semitism, following comments she made about students who had served in the Israeli military on a radio programme.

She described her departure as a “termination dressed up in more palatable terms”.

The nonprofit legal advocacy organisation, the Center for Constitutional Rights, labelled the decision an “egregious attack on both academic freedom and Palestinian rights advocacy”.

In response, a university spokesperson said it was “committed to being a community that is welcoming to all and our policies prohibit discrimination and harassment”.