Students at elite New York university expelled for disrupting class with threatening Hamas propaganda
Students attempted to cover the walls with Hamas propaganda proclaiming:
« THE ENEMY DOES NOT SEE TOMORROW »
Alain SAYADA for Israel Digital News
Jerusalem 06:52
Two students at Barnard College in New York have been expelled for their alleged role in disrupting the first session of a modern Israeli history class last month.
The expulsions were publicized by the group Columbia University Apartheid Divest, which calls on Columbia University to divest itself of any association with Israel. Barnard and Columbia are affiliated institutions.
In a post on X, the group said the Barnard administration has consistently been hostile to those who support Palestine while “enforcing harsh disciplinary sanctions against protesters to stifle dissent in an effort to erase their complicity.”
The front door of Barnard College. Two Barnard students were reportedly expelled for participating in the disruption of a class on modern Israel in January. (Photographer’s name/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Barnard President Laura Rosenbury said that under federal law, the college cannot « comment on students’ academic and disciplinary records. »
“That said, as a matter of principle and policy, Barnard will always take decisive action to protect our community as a place where learning thrives, where individuals feel safe, and where higher education is celebrated,” Rosenbury wrote, without confirming the expulsions. “That means maintaining the highest standards and acting when those standards are threatened.”
“When rules are broken, when there is no remorse, no reflection, and no willingness to change, we must act,” she added. “Expulsion is always an extraordinary step, but so is our commitment to respect, inclusion, and the integrity of the academic experience. At Barnard, we always stand fiercely by our values. At Barnard, we always reject harassment and discrimination in all its forms. And at Barnard, we always do what is right, not what is easy.”
The two unidentified students who were expelled reportedly banged on drums and chanted “Free Palestine” during the class, which took place on January 21, according to the Jewish Insider. The two Barnard students, a Columbia student and a fourth person also tried to plaster the walls of the classroom with a sign depicting Hamas terrorists pointing guns and the words “THE ENEMY WOULD NOT WANT TOMORROW,” according to the report.
A student protester waves a large Palestinian flag at their encampment on the campus of Columbia University, Monday, April 29, 2024, in New York. Gaza war protesters camped at Columbia University defied a deadline to disperse by chanting, cheering and drumming. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)
On Sunday, CUAD posted on Instagram a video taken by protesters during the disruption of classes. The caption of the post described the course on the history of modern Israel as “training future foot soldiers and managers of genocide.”
« We disrupted a Zionist course, and so should you, » the message read.
The Columbia student was suspended days after the incident by Columbia University , according to the school .
Brian Cohen, director of the Kraft Center for Jewish Student Life, praised Rosenbury’s actions.
A student protester holds a Palestinian flag outside the entrance to Hamilton Hall on the campus of Columbia University, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, Pool)
“These former students disrupted a class, handed out anti-Semitic leaflets, and harassed students who only wanted to learn. These individuals have no place on campus – and now they will no longer,” he wrote on X on Sunday.
