Mahmoud Khalil sues Columbia for alleged failure to protect pro-Palestinian students
NEW YORK: Mahmoud Khalil and other pro-Palestinian student activists sued Columbia University on Monday, accusing the Ivy League school of being deliberately indifferent to years of pervasive harassment because of their advocacy.
Mahmoud Khalil filed a lawsuit against Columbia University on Monday, alleging the institution's failure to protect pro-Palestinian students from harassment. Khalil, along with the SIPA Palestine Working Group and its president Mohammad Zubairi, are suing Columbia in Manhattan federal court, claiming the school violated federal civil rights laws through its inaction to address threats, doxxing, and harassment based on perceived Arab or Muslim ancestry and advocacy for Palestinian rights.
The lawsuit is based on Khalil's claims of reported harassment during the spring semester of 2023, which Columbia allegedly treated as security risks and revised its policies to subject pro-Palestinian criticism of Israel's military or government to disciplinary action. Khalil, an Algerian citizen of Palestinian origin, began reporting harassment in 2023, but Columbia instead focused on treating pro-Palestinian protests as security risks.
The dispute led to the resignation of Columbia's president and divided the university, with some students supporting the protesters and others feeling unsafe or considering certain activities antisemitic. Khalil spent 104 days in a Louisiana jail following his arrest in March 2025 and still faces possible deportation after a federal appeals court ruled a district court judge lacked jurisdiction when he ordered his release from custody last year.
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