Columbia University announced Friday that it has banned students from campus after a video of a student protest leader saying Zionists “don't deserve to live” resurfaced on Thursday.
A university spokesperson said student Kaimani James had been “expelled from campus.” The university did not provide details about the circumstances surrounding the ban or information about disciplinary procedures.
Colombian authorities said in a statement Friday night regarding the ongoing protests that they had banned a person whose “vile video” recently surfaced.
“Chants, signs, jeers, and social media posts by our students that mock and threaten to 'kill' Jews are completely unacceptable, and Columbia University students who engage in such incidents will be held accountable. Deaf,” the statement said.
James, who is a junior in the Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) group and describes himself as a spokesperson for Columbia's student camps, is seen making the comments in a video clip reviewed by NBC News. .
“Zionists, they don't deserve to live in comfort. And Zionists don't deserve to live,” James said in a video that went viral on social media.
“We are so comfortable accepting that Nazis don't deserve to live, fascists don't deserve to live, racists don't deserve to live, Zionists don't deserve to live in this world. Just like that,” James added.
The video resurfaced amid a wave of protests against Israel's war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, with pro-Palestinian encampments set up on college campuses across the United States. At times, some people were arrested during the demonstrations, and some pro-Palestinian demonstrators and pro-Israel demonstrators clashed. Jewish students also reported instances of anti-Semitism.
Talks are continuing between protesters and administrators regarding the removal of the Columbia University encampment, which has been in place since April 17, the university said. Protesters at the school and other campuses are calling on the school to divest from companies that do business with Israel.
James, who uses he/she/they pronouns, said: in a statement wrote to X on Friday that their comments were “wrong” and “regret,” adding that “all members of our community have the right to feel safe even if they are not entitled.” Ta.
James added that he could have instead said, “Zionism is an ideology that requires the genocide of the Palestinian people. I oppose it in the strongest terms.”
According to the Anti-Defamation League, “Zionism is a movement for self-determination and statehood in the Land of Israel, the ancestral homeland of the Jewish people.”
It does not necessarily refer to Jews as a whole, as Jews do not have to be Zionists.
James said in a statement that the comments were made prior to his engagement with CUAD, and that both CUAD and the Gaza Solidarity Encampment confirmed that the comments on the video were “not in line with CUAD community guidelines.” I'm making it clear.”
“Those words do not represent CUAD,” James said. “They don’t represent me either.”
It is unclear whether Mr. James is still serving as the company's spokesperson. James did not appear to be participating in Friday's protest.
In an Instagram post early Friday morning, CUAD said James' “words in January do not reflect his views, our values, or the consensus of the camp community,” and the group continues to ” We are committed to peaceful protests and will continue to make the following demands of the university.” Break away from Israel's brutal genocide against the Palestinian people. ”
NBC News has not confirmed how the video was created, but the New York Times and the university's student publication, the Columbia Spectator, reported that James was involved in a meeting with Columbia University's Center for Student Success and Intervention in January. It was reported that he made this comment. James recorded the meeting and broadcast it on Instagram Live.
The January meeting came after James said on social media regarding the fight against Zionists, “I'm not fighting to hurt, I'm not fighting because there are winners and losers, I'm fighting to kill.'' The meeting was said to have been called in connection with previous comments he made. to the Times and the audience.
Columbia University's Center for Student Success and Intervention did not immediately respond to requests for comment or more information.
In a longer version of the video, edited and posted by the Daily Wire on Thursday night, James said he didn't understand why what he said was problematic and compared Zionists to white supremacists and Nazis. He said he would feel comfortable calling for Zionists to die.
Mr James also said administrators should be grateful that Mr James did not act on their words.
James said in a statement Friday that her comments had been edited out of context and that at the time she made them, she was “unusually upset to have been targeted by an online mob because I am clearly queer and black.”
James did not immediately respond to a request for comment about X on Friday. No other contact information was immediately available.
White House press secretary Andrew Bates said in a statement that President Joe Biden has made clear that “violent rhetoric, hate speech, and anti-Semitic rhetoric have no place in the United States.” .
“These dangerous and horrifying statements are upsetting and should serve as a wake-up call,” Bates said. “It's terrible to defend the murder of Jews.”
