US cancels $532 million in grants, contracts to Columbia University over antisemitism allegations

NEW YORK - US President Donald Trump's administration has cancelled grants and contracts totalling US$400 million (S$532 million) to Columbia University in New York City due to "inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students," the General Services Administration (GSA) said on March 7.

The US government said the cancelled funds would come out of US$5 billion in grants committed to Columbia, the GSA said, in a joint statement with the Department of Justice, the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services.

Columbia has been at the centre of college protests in which demonstrators demanded an end to US support for Israel due to the civilian deaths and humanitarian crisis caused by Israel's assault on Gaza.

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There were allegations of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia in protests and counter-protests.

Columbia has previously said it made efforts to tackle anti-Semitism.

"Cancelling these taxpayer funds is our strongest signal yet that the federal government is not going to be party to an educational institution like Columbia that does not protect Jewish students and staff," said Mr Leo Terrell, who leads the Justice Department's anti-Semitism task force.

It was not immediately clear which grants and contracts were being cut.

Source: Reuters