Palestinian activist Khalil returns to Columbia after US detention

AI Summary

Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil returned to Columbia University for the first time since his 2025 arrest during the Trump administration’s crackdown on pro-Palestinian activists. At a memoir event attended by about 100 people, he called his return a victory and accused the university of trying to erase Palestinian voices on campus.

Mahmoud Khalil, a figurehead of Gaza war protests in the United States, returned Tuesday to Columbia University for the first time since his 2025 arrest under President Donald Trump's crackdown on pro-Palestinian activists. The 31-year-old told AFP his presence for an event on his new memoir, attended by around 100 people, was a "victory," as he accused Columbia of seeking "to erase me, to erase any Palestinian voices on campus."