Minouche Shafik, president of Columbia University, said that four students have been suspended from the university for an event held in March at which the speakers praised Hamas and other terror groups. The suspension was f irst reported in the Columbia Spectator, the campus newspaper.

The student-led event, titled “Resistance 101,” drew harsh criticism for alleged antisemitism on campus. The suspensions marked a significant step in Columbia’s response to anti-Israel activities that have rocked the campus since Oct. 7, when Hamas staged an attack on Israel, murdering civilians and taking hundreds hostage, many of them still in captivity.

The president acknowledged in a statement that the “Resistance 101” event featured speakers who “support terrorism and promote violence” and that administrators had already twice prohibited the event. “I want to state for the record that this event is an abhorrent breach of our values,” she said, noting that other suspensions may be forthcoming.

Despite the ban on the event, students held the discussion in a campus residential facility.

In a subsequent event, on April 18, Columbia’s president was forced to call in the help of New York City police to quell another demonstration that, the president said “was in violation of university policies and trespassing.” The demonstrators had interfered with the operations of the university, refused to identify themselves, refused to disperse, and damaged campus property, according to a statement.

A rabbi linked to the Ivy League school has recommended that Jewish students return home as soon as possible and remain home amid the demonstrations. The atmosphere is so charged that school officials said students could begin attending classes online rather than in person.