USA11 August, 20262 min read
Palestinian Students Sue Columbia University Over Discriminatory Treatment Since Late 2023
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Palestinian students and staff sue Columbia alleging discrimination since late 2023. Lawsuit claims university failed to protect them from harassment and actively encouraged mistreatment.
Columbia sued in New York
A group of current and former Palestinian students and staff sued Columbia University in New York, alleging discriminatory treatment of the university's Palestinian community since late 2023, according to a court filing.
The lawsuit, filed in New York State Supreme Court, says Columbia failed to protect Palestinian members from harassment and targeted them through what it cast as "unfair and biased disciplinary hearings."
The complaint ties the allegations to the period after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza, when protests erupted at Columbia and around the U.S. after Israel launched its assault on Gaza.
Reuters reported that Columbia has previously denied being discriminatory and condemned hate, and it declined to comment on pending litigation, while the university did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
The New York Times reported that the complaint reads, "Columbia has discriminated against its students, faculty and staff who are of Palestinian origin" through failure to adequately protect them from harassment.
Protests, suspensions, and responses
Reuters said protests took place at Columbia and around the U.S. after the start of Israel's assault on Gaza following a deadly Palestinian Hamas attack in October 2023, with protesters demanding an end to U.S. support for its ally and calling for divestment by universities. In May 2025, Reuters reported that Columbia suspended more than 65 students for their role in shutting down the university's main library in a pro-Palestinian demonstration. The New York Times reported that Kimberly Winston, a spokeswoman for the university, declined to comment on Tuesday, citing the pending litigation.
The Forward described the complaint as alleging Columbia "actively participated in and amplified the racially, ethnically, and politically motivated targeting of Palestinian students, staff, and faculty." The Forward also reported that the lawsuit seeks monetary damages under the city's Human Rights Law, which prohibits discrimination or harassment based on race, creed, national origin, immigration status, or citizenship.
What the plaintiffs seek
The lawsuit seeks monetary damages under the New York City Human Rights Law, which prohibits discrimination or harassment based on race, creed, national origin, immigration status, or citizenship, according to multiple reports.
Gothamist said the complaint, filed in state court, alleges school officials not only failed to adequately protect students, faculty and staff from harm on campus but "actively encouraged" mistreatment through "unfair and biased disciplinary hearings."
The New York Times reported that the complaint is the latest in ongoing legal battles over Columbia’s handling of campus speech, safety and discipline following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack and during the subsequent war in Gaza.
Reuters reported that Columbia agreed to pay over $200 million to the U.S. government to resolve federal probes and restore most of the federal funding in July last year, while the lawsuit frames the university’s handling of Palestinian harassment and discipline as discriminatory.
The New York Times said the complaint focuses on Columbia’s Office of Institutional Equity, which describes itself on its website as a "centralized resource for addressing all reports of discrimination and discriminatory harassment."