Columbia University course on Israel disrupted by Palestinian protesters on first day of classby Haley Cohen Columbia University students learning about the history of Israel found their first day of class thrown into chaos Tuesday after four masked demonstrators barged into the classroom, banged on drums, chanted “free Palestine” and distributed posters to students that read “CRUSH ZIONISM” with a boot over the Star of David. The masked demonstrators also held up, and tried to plaster the walls of the classroom, a sign featuring an illustration of Hamas terrorists pointing guns titled “THE ENEMY WILL NOT SEE TOMORROW.” “He said to them we’re here to learn [and] offered for them to learn, [otherwise] if they don’t want to learn, they should leave,” Baker recalled. “They did not listen, they kept banging their drums and [trying to] put up their posters. It was clearly a performative disruption meant to intimidate and disrupt. After they were finished with that, they marched out, yelled ‘Free Palestine’ and went to join up with larger demonstrations outside and inside [of the Columbia entrance] gates.” Dozens of protesters, with their faces covered by keffiyehs and masks, also took to Columbia’s main quad, as well as the entrance of the Morningside Heights campus, on Tuesday afternoon to chant for an “intifada revolution” and other antisemitic slogans. The classroom demonstrators were presumably students or other university affiliates. At the start of this academic year — in an effort to crackdown on protests — Columbia locked down its gates, which had been long open to the public. The tall iron entrance gates are now guarded 24/7, with security officers only allowing Columbia affiliates with a valid school ID and their pre-approved guests inside. The disruption was immediately condemned by Columbia University Interim President Katrina Armstrong, as well as Columbia Hillel’s executive director, Brian Cohen. “Today a History of Modern Israel class was disrupted by protesters who handed out fliers. We strongly condemn this disruption, as well as the fliers that included violent imagery that is unacceptable on our campus and in our community,” Armstrong said in a statement. Armstrong said that Columbia will “move quickly to investigate and address this act. We want to be absolutely clear that any act of antisemitism, or other form of discrimination, harassment, or intimidation against members of our community is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.” Cohen noted on X that the demonstration not only violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 but is also “a clear violation of University rules.” He called for the university to “act quickly and strongly to hold these individuals accountable.” The incident comes two days after the implementation of a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, which campus anti-Israel demonstrators have demanded since the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks and ensuing war began. “This was never about ceasefire and it was never about the war in Gaza,” Baker said. “It was always about a broader existential mission to eradicate the state of Israel. If that wasn’t clear before, it better be clear now.” “One of the main talking points of the [anti-Israel campus] movement has been a defense of the things that they say on the grounds of academic freedom,” Baker continued. “Well, so much for academic freedom when you barge into a classroom and interrupt it and intimidate the students and the professor.” |