Former Columbia University student and Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) senior member Mahmoud Khalil was denied access to campus, according to Khalil and Columbia, with safety concerns cited in interfering with his appearance.
Khalil, who gained national prominence after being detained and set for deportation, had been scheduled to attend a Thursday screening of the documentary film 'The Encampments'. The film stars Khalil and other student activists detailing their anti-Israel encampment protests, which rocked the campus in 2024, and were emulated across the United States.
Columbia Public Affairs Office said on Thursday that, after a public safety review of the event, the university had recommended that the event be hosted at a campus venue, rather than at Pulitzer Hall.
“Utilizing an appropriate venue was important to ensure the event could be properly supported by facilities and public safety staff, including to minimize potential disruptions to the event,” said Columbia.
“The event organizers felt strongly about hosting the event at Pulitzer Hall and informed the University that, rather than move to a different campus location, some of its panel speakers would participate via Zoom, in order to remain in the Pulitzer location.”
Columbia insisted that it was the event organizers who ultimately decided to utilize Zoom rather than move to a different venue and have panelists attend in person.
'They’re censoring anything connected to Palestine' says Khalil
Khalil accused the university of refusing to allow him to speak and attend the film screening. In a Thursday Instagram post, he rejected safety claims as fraudulent, calling them an excuse for institutional censorship. The anti-Israel activist questioned why Columbia was willing to platform other controversial speakers but not an alum.
“They’re censoring anything connected to Palestine, anything that exposes their repression, their retaliation, and their complicity in genocide,” said Khalil. “There is no academic freedom at Columbia. Only censorship. Only fear of Palestinian truth.”
Khalil had also been invited to speak on November 13 at a School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) class, but according to Columbia, his campus access request was denied, based on the “University’s ability to manage facilities and public safety on campus.” Columbia said that Khalil was permitted to participate virtually. SIPA leadership had also cautioned that the class had to pertain to the course subject matter and not be used for political advocacy.
Khalil told the Columbia Daily Spectator that he had planned to talk about non-political topics, such as involvement in nonprofits, but the university was dismissive of his virtual participation.
The Spectator also reported that Khalil had attempted to access the campus on November 5, but was denied a guest pass.
In March, US immigration agents arrested him, a move he described as a politically motivated attempt to deport him.
The United States government alleged that Khalil had failed to disclose his affiliation with CUAD and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) when changing his status in the country. Khalil was released in June after a New Jersey federal court ordered a stay of his deportation, pending review of legal challenges. In September, an immigration judge ordered Khalil’s deportation to Algeria or Syria.
Khalil sued the federal government for damages for false imprisonment and malicious prosecution. Zeteo media outlet reported that Khalil launched another suit against the administration over the release of communications with Canary Mission and Betar USA. Information from the two groups was allegedly used by ICE in their pursuit of the activist.