
Columbia University has suspended a student following a swift investigation into a disruption during a class on Israeli history, the university announced on Thursday, according to CNN.
Protesters distributed flyers with “violent imagery” during a History of Modern Israel class on Tuesday, according to Columbia’s statement. The university identified and suspended one student pending a complete review, with the investigation still ongoing. The student’s identity has not been disclosed.
The incident occurred on the first day of Professor Avi Shilon’s class. Protesters, wearing keffiyehs and covering their faces, entered the classroom and handed out anti-Israel flyers, reported Elisha Baker, a junior studying Middle Eastern history.
One flyer depicted a burning Israeli flag with the phrase “Burn Zionism to the Ground,” while another showed a black boot about to crush the Star of David, accompanied by the words “Crush Zionism,” according to photos taken by Baker.
In response to the incident, Columbia announced increased security measures and intensified efforts to identify those involved. It remains unclear if all demonstrators were students.
“No group of students has a right to disrupt another group in a Columbia classroom,” said interim president Katrina Armstrong. “Acts of antisemitism or any form of discrimination, harassment, or intimidation are unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”
This disruption is the latest in a series of incidents at Columbia related to the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza. Columbia has come under increased scrutiny over the rise in antisemitism on campus since the Hamas massacre in Israel on October 7, 2023.
Pro-Palestinian Arab demonstrators at Columbia set up dozens of tents in April of last year, demanding that the university divest from its Israeli assets. The university administration called in police to dismantle the encampments.
On April 30, at the request of university leaders, hundreds of officers with the New York Police Department stormed onto campus, gaining access to the building through a second-story window and making dozens of arrests of the pro-Palestinian Arab demonstrators who had taken over Hamilton Hall.
Before the anti-Israel encampment on campus, the Chabad rabbi of Columbia University and a group of Jewish students were forced to leave the university campus for their own safety during a pro-Hamas demonstration.
In August, three Columbia University deans resigned from the school, after it was discovered that they had exchanged “very troubling” texts that “disturbingly touched on ancient antisemitic tropes”.
Later that month, Columbia University President Dr. Minouche Shafik announced her resignation, following months of criticism for her handling of campus antisemitism.
In September, on the first day of classes, dozens of masked anti-Israel protesters gathered at the entrance to Columbia and at Barnard College.