The daughter of Rep. Ilhan Omar said she was suspended Thursday by Barnard College after refusing to leave an encampment set up on campus in support of Gaza.
Isra Hirsi, 21, said she received notice that she and at least two other students had been suspended for “showing solidarity with Palestinians facing genocide,” Hirsi wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
Hirsi, an organizer for a student group that advocates for Palestinian interests, said it was the first time she had been punished as a student activist in her three years at the New York school.
“Those of us living in the Gaza solidarity camp will not be intimidated,” she wrote.
Barnard said it has temporarily suspended some Columbia and Barnard students who refused multiple written and verbal requests Thursday morning to leave an unauthorized encampment on Columbia’s South Lawn.
More than 100 people occupy the area, Columbia University President Nemat “Minouche” Shafik said in a memo to police.
Barnard did not say how many students were suspended or confirm that Hirsi was among them. He did not say how long the suspension would last, but said he would continue to suspend remaining students.
“Now and always, we prioritize our students learning and living in an inclusive, harassment-free environment,” the school said in a memo regarding the suspensions.
Hirsi could not immediately be reached for comment.
Omar did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Democrat, who represents Minnesota, is a Somali refugee who made history as one of the first two Muslim American women elected to Congress.
On Wednesday, Omar questioned Shafik about the campus protests during a congressional hearing in which Shafik strongly denounced anti-Semitism.
In a statement released Thursday, Shafik said she authorized police to evacuate the camp “out of concern for safety” on campus.
New York police said they have arrested three people at the camp so far, aged 26, 30 and 35.