The Gates Will Not Open: Columbia Students Resist Injustice and Silencing

In an act of resistance and direct defiance to Columbia University administration, approximately two dozen students and alumni chained themselves to the gates of the university protesting the detention of former student Mahmoud Khalil and fellow activist Mohsen Mahdawi.

The protest, which began early Monday morning at Columbia’s main gates at 116th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, was organized by the Columbia Palestine Solidarity Coalition, Columbia Chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace and Columbia University Alumni for Palestine. In a joint Instagram statement, the groups said, “Today, a group of Columbia University students and alumni chained themselves to the campus gates, demanding the release of Mahmoud Khalil and Mohsen Mahdawi.”

David Maloof, a Columbia alum and activist said,

 “This is part of Columbia’s tradition. We protested the Vietnam War before my time, but I protested the South Africa apartheid. And now these students are protesting the genocide in Gaza. This is the greatest show of courage and of love. The smoke screen is that the Trump administration wants a conservative campus that doesn’t teach love.”

Darializa Avila Chevalier, another Columbia alum participating in the protest, emphasized that the demonstration was about more than one student. “Everyone should be opposed to this because it threatens not just their right to free speech, it threatens your right to free speech, my right to free speech, the right of the press, and all our constitutional rights are threatened if we let this go unchallenged.”

Chevalier went on saying,

“I think it’s very important for folks to come together. We know that when authoritarian regimes seek to be more repressive, that’s when it’s time for us to be braver than we’ve been.”

This marks the second time this semester that protesters have chained themselves to the campus gates. On April 2, Jewish pro-Palestinian students chained themselves near St. Paul’s Chapel and Earl Hall to protest the detention of Khalil.

In a statement, SIPA Alumni for Palestine alleged that Columbia University had been “directly implicated” in Khalil’s targeting by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), stating: “As the genocide in Gaza continues to escalate at a rapid rate made possible by our tuition and tax dollars, and fascism rises at home, students and alumni are physically putting their bodies on the line to prevent any more Palestinian erasure on Columbia’s campus.”

One undergraduate protester, identified as Shea, also accused Columbia trustees of handing over the names of Khalil and other pro-Palestinian students to the federal government. “We are here in protest of that to demand that the university tell us which trustees, which members of the university administration, are responsible for this so we can demand immediate consequences for them and hold them accountable for what they’ve done to our peer.”

She added that the action was being led by Jewish students because “the attacks on our international students, on students of color, have been so fierce, so dangerous, so disproportionate that we are the only students who can be here right now taking this risk.”

Growing Movement

Simone Zimmerman, co-founder of the Jewish-led group IfNotNow, voiced her support for the demonstrators: “Love and solidarity to these courageous Jewish students who have chained themselves to the gates of Columbia in protest of the university turning over their friend Mahmoud Khalil to a fascist administration. The students… are taking risks today that they know most of their peers cannot.”

During the demonstration, protesters read aloud the names and ages of Palestinian children killed in Gaza. Chanting, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” and “Disclose, divest—we will not stop, we will not rest.”

One protester read a statement from a Palestinian journalist and human rights worker in Gaza, reflecting on the dangers faced by members of the press: “Today they are discussing journalists’ right to free speech. Palestinian journalists have said that the press just feels more like a target. I wanted to believe that when journalists were killed in airstrikes or by a sniper bullet, they were not the intended target, that their deaths were by accident. After two and a half months, I no longer believe that.”

Administration Reaction

The Columbia University administration responded with this statement: “We will follow all applicable policies and procedures for addressing potential violations. This small disruption has not impeded the ability of our students to attend classes as normal; all scheduled campus activities have proceeded as planned. Our focus is on ensuring a safe campus for our community and preserving our core mission to teach, create, and advance knowledge.”

A university representative issued a formal warning at the protest site: “This is a warning that you may be in violation of the rules of University conduct. Those who do not comply may be found in violation of the rules of university conduct and other University policies. If you do not disperse, you will be removed.”

David Maloof questioned claims that protests made students feel unsafe: “Every student should feel safe, but you have to decide, are they really not feeling safe or are they just insulted? Are they just insulted because a group they support the Israeli Netanyahu government is being protested against?”

At approximately 6:20 p.m., the demonstration concluded. The New York Police Department arrested one protester, reportedly removing their yarmulke during the process.

Meanwhile, national attention on campus protests continues to grow. In a post on X, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce wrote, “We’ve seen this show before. Columbia protestors continue to disrupt students’ lives. Leaders must follow federal law, which requires that colleges provide a safe learning environment for all.”

Despite warnings from university officials and scrutiny from federal lawmakers, student and alumni protesters say they are undeterred. They view their actions as part of a broader movement to challenge institutional complicity and to defend civil liberties both on campus and beyond.

As tensions around U.S. involvement in Gaza and campus free speech continue to intensify, the demonstration at Columbia underscores a growing wave of student led activism demanding accountability, transparency and justice no matter the personal risk.