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Columbia Expelled Student Protesters For the First Time in Over 50 Years

28 points by geox 2y ago

sitkack 2y ago
> This is the first time in 57 years that the university has expelled anyone for protest, and the only official expulsions associated with Israel’s war on Gaza. Columbia University Apartheid Divest notes that this string of harsh punishments is “completely unprecedented,” noting that the last expulsion for nonviolent political protest was in 1936 when Robert Burke was expelled for rallying against Columbia’s ties to Nazism.
drewbug01 2y ago
> “Columbia and Barnard are cracking down on student protesters to appease the Department of Justice and billionaire donors because they are afraid of losing their funding,” said the CUAD spokesperson. “Appeasement” was precisely how I interpreted the actions, as well. However, I’m surprised that the university administration is naive enough to think that’s a viable strategy. Taking a hard-line stance isn’t going to convince the Trump administration to reinstate the grants they just cancelled, or remove them from the investigation list they just announced. Better to grow a backbone, and defend the free speech rights of students (even if that speech seems objectionable) while there are still rights left to defend. Rolling over will do nothing but hasten their demise.
- Mountain_Skies 2y ago
  Not every decision in the world is made with Trump as the primary consideration.
  - nickthegreek 2y ago
    Trump just took $400m from them over this issue.
arresin 2y ago
For or against it is awe inspiring how a country of 5 million in the Middle East has so much control over the United States. If you see their Twitter posts, the whole cabinet has released gushing messages of support uniquely for this one country. In human history, has there ever been a setup like this?
- xenospn 2y ago
  Are you talking about Israel? It’s closer to 10 million.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- thomassmith65 2y ago
  https://reuters.com/article/world/us-politics/jewish-voters-by-the-numbers-idUSBRE86N05Z https://reuters.com/article/world/us-politics/jewish-voters-... (2012) * New York (almost 1.8 million Jews and 29 electoral votes) * California (more than 1.2 million and 55 votes) * Florida (about 640,000 and 29 votes) * New Jersey (more than 500,000 and 14) Israel as an issue in Jewish vote: In 2008, Israel ranked eighth out of 15 issues in importance for candidate choice There is a similar 'setup' with other large voting blocks. For example, the ex-pat Cuban community, who resent Castro, make it difficult for America to normalize relations with Cuba.
  - locopati 2y ago
    it's not just Jewish votes... numbers of Jews are dwarfed by numbers of Zionist Christians with dreams of Revelations see the Demographics section https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Zionism https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Zionism
daft_pink 2y ago
I think we are entering a period where protestors are going to have to ask themselves if they are willing to accept the consequences of their actions to protest. If you’re going to disrupt other people lives for your cause, you’re going to have to bear the conseuqneces of it. The no consequences violent and disruptive protests for many different causes in the United States for the last several years are broadly over and if you’re going to do these things, you’re probably going to have to deal with life changing consequences.
- alphabettsy 2y ago
  Like Jan 6?
  - daft_pink 2y ago
    I think there should be legal consequences for people who did violent egregious things. I don’t think they should be overcharged. I think everyone should face legal consequences on either sides protests at an appropriate level.
- Ukv 2y ago
  Maybe a tangent, but I feel framing punishment/retaliation as "consequences" (remarking along the lines of "it's almost as if actions have consequences") often serves the purpose of treating the retaliation as if it's an inevitable rule of nature, just the way things are, opposed to an act that should itself be questioned - and potentially fought instead of "accept[ed]". Punishment/retaliation can be seen as a specific type of consequence (one that is intentionally enacted by someone as retribution) so it's not that the framing is technically incorrect, but it seems to put it on the same level as "I threw a basketball upwards and it came back down to hit me in the face".
  - daft_pink 2y ago
    I'm not suggesting that holding up a sign and marching down the street should be punished, but the protests over the past few years involved extensive property damage and assault and theft and seizure of property. I'm not sure why anyone would think they could attack someone, vandalize, steal or destroy others property or trespassing and receiving extensive warning to leave wouldn't have consequences.
deleted 2y ago
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deleted 2y ago
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28 points by geox 2y ago

> This is the first time in 57 years that the university has expelled anyone for protest, and the only official expulsions associated with Israel’s war on Gaza. Columbia University Apartheid Divest notes that this string of harsh punishments is “completely unprecedented,” noting that the last expulsion for nonviolent political protest was in 1936 when Robert Burke was expelled for rallying against Columbia’s ties to Nazism.

drewbug01 2y ago

> “Columbia and Barnard are cracking down on student protesters to appease the Department of Justice and billionaire donors because they are afraid of losing their funding,” said the CUAD spokesperson. “Appeasement” was precisely how I interpreted the actions, as well. However, I’m surprised that the university administration is naive enough to think that’s a viable strategy. Taking a hard-line stance isn’t going to convince the Trump administration to reinstate the grants they just cancelled, or remove them from the investigation list they just announced. Better to grow a backbone, and defend the free speech rights of students (even if that speech seems objectionable) while there are still rights left to defend. Rolling over will do nothing but hasten their demise.

Mountain_Skies 2y ago
Not every decision in the world is made with Trump as the primary consideration.
- nickthegreek 2y ago
  Trump just took $400m from them over this issue.

arresin 2y ago

For or against it is awe inspiring how a country of 5 million in the Middle East has so much control over the United States. If you see their Twitter posts, the whole cabinet has released gushing messages of support uniquely for this one country. In human history, has there ever been a setup like this?

xenospn 2y ago
Are you talking about Israel? It’s closer to 10 million.
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
thomassmith65 2y ago
https://reuters.com/article/world/us-politics/jewish-voters-by-the-numbers-idUSBRE86N05Z https://reuters.com/article/world/us-politics/jewish-voters-... (2012) * New York (almost 1.8 million Jews and 29 electoral votes) * California (more than 1.2 million and 55 votes) * Florida (about 640,000 and 29 votes) * New Jersey (more than 500,000 and 14) Israel as an issue in Jewish vote: In 2008, Israel ranked eighth out of 15 issues in importance for candidate choice There is a similar 'setup' with other large voting blocks. For example, the ex-pat Cuban community, who resent Castro, make it difficult for America to normalize relations with Cuba.
- locopati 2y ago
  it's not just Jewish votes... numbers of Jews are dwarfed by numbers of Zionist Christians with dreams of Revelations see the Demographics section https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Zionism https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Zionism

daft_pink 2y ago

I think we are entering a period where protestors are going to have to ask themselves if they are willing to accept the consequences of their actions to protest. If you’re going to disrupt other people lives for your cause, you’re going to have to bear the conseuqneces of it. The no consequences violent and disruptive protests for many different causes in the United States for the last several years are broadly over and if you’re going to do these things, you’re probably going to have to deal with life changing consequences.

alphabettsy 2y ago
Like Jan 6?
- daft_pink 2y ago
  I think there should be legal consequences for people who did violent egregious things. I don’t think they should be overcharged. I think everyone should face legal consequences on either sides protests at an appropriate level.
Ukv 2y ago
Maybe a tangent, but I feel framing punishment/retaliation as "consequences" (remarking along the lines of "it's almost as if actions have consequences") often serves the purpose of treating the retaliation as if it's an inevitable rule of nature, just the way things are, opposed to an act that should itself be questioned - and potentially fought instead of "accept[ed]". Punishment/retaliation can be seen as a specific type of consequence (one that is intentionally enacted by someone as retribution) so it's not that the framing is technically incorrect, but it seems to put it on the same level as "I threw a basketball upwards and it came back down to hit me in the face".
- daft_pink 2y ago
  I'm not suggesting that holding up a sign and marching down the street should be punished, but the protests over the past few years involved extensive property damage and assault and theft and seizure of property. I'm not sure why anyone would think they could attack someone, vandalize, steal or destroy others property or trespassing and receiving extensive warning to leave wouldn't have consequences.

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

deleted 2y ago

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