Columbia Janitors Reach Settlement After Anti-Israel Protest Hostage Incident

Two Columbia University janitors, Lester Wilson and Mario Torres, who were held hostage and assaulted by anti-Israel protesters during the April 2024 takeover of Hamilton Hall, have reached a financial settlement with the university. The settlement amount remains undisclosed but is part of a broader $220 million agreement between Columbia and the Trump administration addressing civil rights violations and discrimination claims, with $20 million specifically allocated to employees unlawfully targeted during the protests. Both janitors, who are non-Jewish minorities, filed complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that sparked a federal civil rights probe into the university. During the incident, the janitors were threatened, physically attacked, and forced to clean swastikas, with protesters hurling antisemitic slurs like "Jew-lovers" and "Zionists" at them. Despite the settlement, Wilson and Torres are pursuing a separate lawsuit against over 40 protesters responsible for the hostage situation and assaults, with legal representation from the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and Torridon Law. The case highlights ongoing efforts to hold accountable those who orchestrated and carried out the violent protest, while the university works to restore federal funding and address discrimination concerns.