Professors and faculty from Columbia University’s sociology department have said that the university’s decision to suspend the arrested students who took part in the April 18 encampment protests was “irregular, unnecessary and resting on shaky legal ground”.

According to a statement issued on Tey Meadow’s — an Associate Professor of Sociology at Columbia University — X account, the department said it was alarmed by the university’s decision to call upon the police to arrest its students on campus.

It said that the student encampment was not violent and did not threaten violence, stating that while all universities must enforce their rules, they must also be wary of resorting to external police officers unless “truly unusual circumstances” demand it.

The statement said that the decision to call the police violated the important principle of protecting free expression on campus.

It called on the university to immediately reverse the suspensions of the students and allow the affected students to return to their dorms.

“For our own part […] We will continue to keep our courses open to these students […] we will give them final grades in our courses so they may receive credit,” it said.