Columbia University says it has penalized one student after “expediting” its probe into a group who disrupted a class on Israeli history.
According to a statement from the institution, demonstrators distributed posters containing “violent imagery” to students who were attending a History of Modern Israel session on Tuesday.
Columbia stated that it had identified and suspended one student who was implicated, pending a complete examination, and that their inquiry is still ongoing. The identify of the student has not been made public by the university administration.
According to student Elisha Baker, it was the first day of Professor Avi Shilon’s class, and the students had just been introduced to the course when protesters entered the classroom.
The protesters had their faces covered and appeared to be wearing keffiyehs, which are traditional Middle Eastern scarves that are often identified as a symbol of Palestinian identity. They proceeded to distribute anti-Israel leaflets.
According to images obtained by Baker, one flyer shows a burning Israeli flag with the words “Burn Zionism to the Ground” underneath it, while another flyer shows a giant black boot that is going to stomp on the Jewish Star of David and says “Crush Zionism.”
“It was shocking for everyone in the class,” Baker, a junior studying Middle Eastern history stated. “I’m still super excited for this class. It’s a shame that this incident is going to put us on edge inside the classroom.”
Columbia earlier stated that it was adjusting its security procedures and stepping up its investigation to find the culprits behind the disruption. According to the school, it was unsure if the protesters were pupils.
“No group of students has a right to disrupt another group of students in a Columbia classroom,” university interim president Katrina Armstrong stated. “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.”
Following years of high-profile incidents at Columbia’s campus in response to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, Tuesday’s disruption of classes is just one of numerous protests that rocked colleges and institutions throughout last year, upsetting the academic calendar.
A number of Muslim and Jewish students reported experiencing physical violence, harassment, or intimidation.
The president of Columbia University resigned at the beginning of the fall semester in August after a turbulent academic year that included protests, an encampment on school property, a building occupation, and the mass arrest of over 100 protesters.
Three deans had resigned a week earlier after being dismissed from their positions due to what the school described as “very troubling” antisemitic text messages.
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The coalition that had apologized on behalf of a pro-Palestinian student activist who said on social media that “Zionists don’t deserve to live” retracted its expression of sorrow in October, over six months after Columbia banned him. Instead, it called for armed resistance against Israel. In a statement, the institution condemned any calls for violence.
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