New York, New York - The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) and Palestine Legal are suing Columbia University after it unlawfully suspended student groups protesting for a ceasefire in Gaza.

The lawsuit, filed in the State Supreme Court in Manhattan, concerns Columbia University leadership's decision to bypass normal procedures in suspending its chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) on November 10, 2023.

The unilateral suspension followed what administrators dubbed an "unauthorized" protest against Israel's ongoing assault on Gaza.

Advocates say the protest was a peaceful demonstration and temporary art installation organized by a coalition of student groups, yet only SJP and JVP were targeted by the suspensions. They had no opportunity to appeal.

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New York's highest court has ruled that universities must follow their own rules and regulations before taking disciplinary measures against student groups, the plaintiffs in the case argue.

The suit follows a February letter from NYCLU to Columbia administrators threatening legal action if they did not reinstate the SJP and JVP chapters.

"Universities should be havens for robust debate, discussion, and learning – not sites of censorship where administrators, donors, and politicians squash political discourse they don’t approve of," NYCLU Executive Director Donna Lieberman said in a press release.

"These student groups were peacefully speaking out on a critical global conflict, only to have Columbia University ignore their own longstanding, existing rules and abruptly suspend the organizations," she continued. "That’s retaliatory, it’s targeted, and it flies in the face of the free speech principles that institutes of higher learning should be defending."

Students impacted by the unlawful suspensions also emphasized the dangerous implications for their freedom of speech rights on campus.

"Columbia University has a robust history of peaceful protest, from 1968 to 1985, that it now champions solely in retrospect and when convenient," said Maryam Alwan, an organizer with Columbia's SJP chapter. "Ivy League institutions should not attract students who value justice and equality if they do not want to be held accountable for the ideals that they claim to uphold."

"As a Palestinian-American student, I should have the same right to speak out on my campus as everyone else – and no amount of targeted policy changes or illegitimate suspensions will prevent us from advocating for the Palestinian people."

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Columbia JVP organizer Cameron Jones added, "Columbia must protect all Jewish students and voices, not just those adhering to a specific political belief. The university's decision to suspend a Jewish group sets a concerning precedent for safeguarding free speech on college campuses."

The lawsuit comes as Israel's assault on Gaza has claimed the lives of at least 31,184 Palestinians, with nearly two million more facing the imminent threat of famine and starvation as the US-backed killing spree continues.