On March 24, Charlotte Kates, a member of Samidoun, a group designated as a terrorist organization by Israel, spoke at a Columbia University event organized by Apartheid Divest, a student group focused on Palestinian solidarity.
During her remarks, Kate discussed the potential for a future Palestine “liberated from Zionism.” She introduced Khaled Barakat, a Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine activist who supported specific tactics in the Palestinian resistance movement.
Apartheid Divest has been a prominent group at Columbia, leading weeks-long protests and encouraging similar actions at other universities in New York. In fact, anti-Israel protests have recently taken place at numerous top universities across the United States, including Princeton, MIT, Harvard, Stanford, and Yale. At least 22 universities experienced protests in just one week.
The Israel-Hamas war has college campuses on edge (Credits: ABC News)
Some of these protests have featured chants and slogans that have been perceived as hateful and violent, such as “Al-Qassam, you make us proud! Take another soldier out!” and “Hamas, we love you.
We support your rockets too!” and “We say justice, you say how? Burn Tel Aviv to the ground!” These chants have raised concerns among many, as they appear to be direct calls for the destruction of the state of Israel and the death of Jewish people around the world rather than protests in favor of peace or a ceasefire.
This has led to questions about how support for certain groups and ideologies has become so prominent on college campuses and why university leaders have not addressed these issues. Some argue that this is due to a dominant ideology on campuses that prioritizes group identity and equity over free expression and open discourse, which has created an environment in which hateful and violent rhetoric is allowed to flourish.
University leaders have faced criticism for not doing enough to address these issues, with some, like Columbia President Minouche Shafik, acknowledging that their response has been insufficient. However, despite promises to take action, pro-Hamas protests have continued to explode, and Shafik’s only response has been to move classes online. At the same time, some faculty members have even joined the antisemitic protests.
This lack of action has led to accusations that university leaders, like Shafik, are driven by the same Marxist principles that are behind the nationwide antisemitic movement, and that they are therefore unwilling to take a stand against it.
How Hamas sympathizers took over American college campuses (Credits: The Hill)
These principles, which emphasize group dynamics and power struggles, have become deeply ingrained in academic institutions. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) offices often mandate discrimination against students and faculty who do not conform to the dominant ideology.
As a result, many are calling for drastic changes to be made to protect Jewish students and restore high standards of academic and moral excellence to many US universities. Some have even suggested that the House should halt funding to these universities if they are unable to restore order to their campuses, expel students engaged in antisemitic activity, and fire faculty who promote hatred and ostracize Jewish students.
The situation has become so dire that all options are being considered, and many are waiting to see whether these universities will take action to address the problem or continue down the road of cowardice and appeasement.
