An anonymous Jewish student filed a lawsuit against Columbia University Monday, accusing the Ivy League school of failing to address antisemitic protests and keep Jewish students safe.
The lawsuit cited antisemitic slogans and threatening behavior by students and protesters at an encampment established April 18 at Columbia University to protest the school’s ties to Israel, accusing the school of doing nothing about “round-the-clock harassment” of Jewish students. (RELATED: ‘Useful Idiots’: Alan Dershowitz Rips Pro-Hamas Students, Compares Them To ‘Hitler Youth’)
“These extreme demonstrators are not engaging in constitutionally protected free speech. Instead, they are openly inciting violence against Jewish students,” the lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York reads. “A clear example is the Columbia student shown in Figure 1, below, holding a sign with an arrow pointing at Jewish Columbia students that are waving American and Israeli flags. The sign reads ‘Al-Qasam’s next targets,’ implying that these students should be the next victims of a massacre by Hamas’ military wing.”
This looks like a sitcom, but it’s not. A human blockade of hundreds at Columbia approaches a small group of Jewish students while saying “one step forward… push them out of the camp” in perfect unison. This is a Columbia tent encampment pic.twitter.com/QvBuzP5QJH
— Sahar Tartak🇮🇱🇺🇸 (@sahar_tartak) April 22, 2024
Multiple demonstrations at Ivy League schools since a deadly terrorist attack by Hamas against Israel have seen protesters make statements like “resistance is justified,” including an Oct. 15 protest where attendees chanted a slogan that has connotations of wiping out Israel after a Cornell University professor called the attacks “exhilarating.”
“Columbia has allowed a small group of fringe demonstrators to target Jewish students and faculty with harassment, hate speech and violence for the sole reason that they are (or appear to be) Jewish,” the complaint says. “Columbia’s inaction and willingness to allow for such vile conduct is antithetical to fostering an environment of diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
“For instance, when one of these extreme demonstrators noticed a female student approaching the encampment wearing a Star of David necklace, he proclaimed, ‘Attention, everyone! We have Zionists who have entered the camp!’ the complaint continues, providing a link to a video posted on X showing the incident. “He then ordered more than 100 protesters to lock arms and instructed, ‘So that we can push them out of the camp, one step forward! Another step forward!’ More than 100 students marched in unison towards a lone Jewish student until she had no choice but to leave.” (RELATED: Fox News Host Asks IDF Veteran If She Fears For Her Safety At Ivy League University)
The complaint later said that the protest leader in question was seen on video saying, “Zionists do not deserve to live.”
The lawsuit demands Columbia abide by its safety policies and end hybrid learning.
“[Jewish students] are relegated to their homes to attend classes virtually and stripped of the opportunity to interact meaningfully with other students and faculty and sit for examinations with their peers,” the lawsuit said. “The segregation of Jewish students is a dangerous development that can quickly escalate into more severe acts of violence and discrimination.”
Columbia University did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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