Columbia student sues school over suspension after anti-Semitic comments, including 'Zionists don’t deserve to live'
An outspoken anti-Israel protester at New York City’s Columbia University is suing the school after he was suspended for his anti-Semitic behavior.
Khymani James filed a lawsuit against Columbia on Sept. 27, claiming that the school’s decision to suspend him violates New York human rights laws.
An outspoken anti-Israel protester at New York City’s Columbia University is suing the school after he was suspended for his anti-Semitic behavior.
Khymani James filed a lawsuit against Columbia on Sept. 27, claiming that the school’s decision to suspend him violates New York human rights laws.
The suit alleges that “the timing and language of the sanction letter makes it clear that Columbia acted in response to external forces and national media attention,” and that “On information and belief, the University is allowing external forces, applying pressure to it, to dictate outcomes in individual student disciplinary cases.”
James took part in an anti-Israel encampment at Columbia in April, during which his peers appointed him as one of the group’s safety personnel and designated him as a media liaison for the encampment. The school reportedly notified James of his suspension on April 25 citing his disruptive and discriminatory behavior during the protest, including an incident during which James linked arms with his fellow protesters and encouraged them to push pro-Israel students away from the encampment.
The lawsuit characterizes James’ behavior as being “reasonably engaged in peaceful self help.”
In addition to filing the suit, James took to social media to attack the suspension decision, accusing Columbia of “cowering” to the demands of donors and “fascist politicians.”
“This morning, my lawyer and I filed a lawsuit against Columbia University,” James wrote in a Sept. 27 post on X. “The discrimination they’ve subjected me (& many others) to, in addition to cowering to billionaire donors and fascist politicians, has been disgusting.”
Columbia previously held meetings with James after he made anti-Semitic posts on Instagram, including one post in which he asserted that “there should not be Zionists anywhere” and that “the world is better without them,” as noted by The Daily Wire.
James reportedly livestreamed one such meeting to social media on Jan. 9, during which he attacked the legitimacy of Zionists’ right to live, stating that “Zionists don’t deserve to live comfortably, let alone Zionists don’t deserve to live.”
“The same way we are very comfortable accepting Nazis don’t deserve to live, fascists don’t deserve to live, racists don’t deserve to live, Zionists, they shouldn’t live in this world,” he continued.
Campus Reform has reached out to Columbia University for comment. This story will be updated accordingly.