Freed Student Slams Columbia University Over Handling of Protest Tensions
A Palestinian student arrested while in the final stages of becoming a U.S. citizen has publicly condemned Columbia University for what he described as its role in silencing student dissent over the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Mohsen Mahdawi, 34, who helped organize protests at the Ivy League university in 2023 and 2024, spent more than two weeks behind bars in Vermont before being released by a judge on April 30.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Mahdawi criticized the university’s actions, especially following the recent removal of dozens of protestors from a university library.
“Columbia University is participating in the destruction of the democratic system,” he stated, accusing the institution of aligning with the Trump administration’s political agenda and harming its own students.
The university, which recently revised its protest policies in response to threats from the Trump administration to cut federal funding, declined to provide additional comments beyond those already issued by acting president Claire Shipman.
Shipman defended the university’s actions, saying the protestors were repeatedly asked to show identification and leave the library.
When they refused, campus officials called police to “assist in securing the building and the safety of our community,” calling the protest “outrageous” and disruptive to students preparing for final exams.
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The Trump administration has argued that Mahdawi’s activism is a threat to its foreign policy and has sought his deportation. However, a judge ruled that Mahdawi had presented a strong legal case suggesting his detention was aimed at silencing his political speech.
Born in a refugee camp in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Mahdawi moved to the United States in 2014. While studying at Columbia, he co-founded the Palestinian Student Union with fellow student Mahmoud Khalil, who was also detained earlier this year.
Mahdawi was arrested on April 14 immediately after completing his citizenship interview in Vermont, a moment he described as emotionally overwhelming.
Similar cases have surfaced across the country since the start of the Trump administration. This week, a federal appeals court ruled in favor of Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk, ordering her transfer back to New England to review possible rights violations.
Despite the challenges, Mahdawi remains hopeful. “People are working hard. Communities are mobilizing,” he said, adding that recent court decisions show that the justice system still functions.
Mahdawi plans to attend his graduation later this month, calling it a symbolic act. “This is a message that education is hope, education is light, and there is no power in the world that should take that away from us,” he said.
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