The spring semester at Columbia University was off to a tumultuous start on Tuesday as anti-Israel student activists caused chaos on campus.
Clad in keffiyehs, several students disrupted an Israeli history class, distributing anti-Semitic flyers that glorified Hamas and threatened violence. The flyers included disturbing imagery such as the Star of David being crushed and promises of violence. The campus was also subjected to vandalism, with calls from the activists for a complete shutdown of the university.
According to The Washington Free Beacon, four student activists stormed into the "History of Modern Israel" class, filming their intrusion and distributing propaganda. The students, most of whom are Jewish, were harassed and intimidated. One of the flyers read, "THE ENEMY WILL NOT SEE TOMORROW," using an upside-down triangle symbol, a known Hamas symbol for Israeli targets. The flyer also depicted a truck full of Hamas terrorists armed with heavy artillery, including RPGs and machine guns.
Another flyer, captioned "CRUSH ZIONISM," showed the Star of David under a boot, while a third flyer threatened to "BURN ZIONISM TO THE GROUND," showing an Israeli flag in flames. The incident was captured on video, showing Avi Shilon, a visiting professor from Israel affiliated with Columbias Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies, asking the protesters to leave. "We want to study," he said. Students enrolled in the class were seen returning the flyers, asking the intruders to leave, with one student stating, "This is a civil rights violation. Were trying to learn."
One of the anti-Israel protesters read from a script, stating, "We are going to give you an inside scoop into Columbia Universitys normalization of genocide." The class, which explores the complexity of Israeli politics from its 1948 establishment to the present day, focuses on the various demographics that "create the fabric of Israeli politics and society," including the "Palestinian citizens of Israel."
Lishi Baker, a Middle Eastern history major, told the Free Beacon that the incident left him "extremely disturbed." Despite the disruption, he pledged to continue taking the course, stating, "Protesters can't stop us from an entire semester of learning." He expressed his frustration at the disruptive students, saying, "Not only am I paying a lot of money to be here, but I actually want to engage in the class, and its really frustrating when theres students at this school who dont care about learning, dont care about class, and are intentionally disruptive and intimidating inside of a classroom."
Shilon also spoke to the Free Beacon, expressing his concern for his students and his determination to teach the two narratives of Palestinians and Israelis. He said, "It did not discourage me; on the contrary, it just makes me feel that it is so important to teach and to study Israel from a real historian who this is his field of expertise."
In response to the incident, Columbias interim president, Katrina Armstrong, issued a statement condemning the disruption and the violent imagery on the flyers. She assured that the university would "move quickly to investigate and address this act." She emphasized that any act of anti-Semitism, discrimination, harassment, or intimidation against members of the community is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
Meanwhile, a different Columbia course on Zionism, taught by Joseph Massad, escaped disruption. Massad, a tenured lecturer, had previously praised a Hamas terror attack and accused Jews of engaging in a "Hitlerian project." Columbia defended its decision to allow Massad to teach a spring course, stating that his class "is one of three courses Columbia students can elect to take ... on the subject of Zionism and the history of Israel."
Outside the classroom, dozens of agitators from Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) and the schools Students for Justice in Palestine chapter protested both on and off campus in support of "the liberation of Palestine beyond a ceasefire." They chanted, "Resistance is glorious. We will be victorious" while marching outside the university, blocking street traffic.
The campus was also vandalized overnight with red spray paint. One graffiti read, "Gaza Rises Columbia Falls." Another poster depicted what appears to be a child throwing a Molotov cocktail with the caption, "Liberation will come from a black and brown thing. Know your brothers. Show your solidarity."
CUAD posted on Instagram on Tuesday, stating, "WE FIGHT UNTIL WE WIN. UNTIL PALESTINE IS FREE. CLASS IS BACK IN SESSION. GOOD LUCK COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY." The disruptions were planned in collaboration with National Students for Justice in Palestine, Within Our Lifetime, and the New York City chapter of the Palestinian Youth Movement.
When the protest ended, student activists were rerouted by police, preventing them from attending an off-campus CUAD teach-in to learn "how universities are involved in war." This is not the first time anti-Israel activists at Columbia have caused disruptions. In September, the first day of the fall semester was marked by similar incidents, with students blocking the entrance to the school, praising Hamas, vandalizing a statue, and clashing with police.
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