Columbia University Students Protest by Chaining Themselves, Demand Immediate Release of Khalil

New York, MINA – A group of students from Columbia University staged a protest by chaining themselves to the campus gates, calling for the immediate release of Mahmoud Khalil, a pro-Palestinian student activist detained by U.S. authorities, Anadolu Agency reported.

According to Press TV, the protest, which took place on Wednesday evening at the university’s St. Paul Chapel, saw several students chaining themselves to the gates, demanding the institution disclose the names of trustees responsible for reporting Khalil to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The demonstrators waved Palestinian flags and held banners reading “Free Mahmoud Now” and “Free Palestine,” which were draped across the gates. Video footage captured the moment when campus security intervened, forcibly removing the students and cutting the chains binding them. In one instance, a security officer was seen escorting a female protester from the area.

In response to Khalil’s detention, the Columbia Palestine Solidarity Committee took to the social media platform X, vowing to remain chained to the campus gates until the university reveals the identities of the trustees who reported Khalil to ICE.

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“We will not leave until our demands are met,” they declared in a post that garnered significant attention.

In a press release on Wednesday, the Columbia Palestine Solidarity Coalition wrote, “We refuse to accept the ongoing genocide in Gaza, facilitated through investments by our trustees, as normal.” They also declared, “We refuse to accept the kidnapping of our friends as normal.”

However, a spokesperson for Columbia University clarified that no members of the university’s administration or board of trustees requested the presence of ICE agents on campus, including any law enforcement actions against students or other members of the community. []

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)

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