Last Friday a group of Jewish faculty members at Columbia University and Barnard College wrote an op-ed for the student paper titled "Protecting our university from Trump’s cruel agenda means resisting his instrumentalization of antisemitism." The phrase "instrumentalization of antisemitism" is their way of saying that allegations of anti-Semitism are being used by Trump and others to oppose pro-Palestinian protesters. The authors (there are 15 names listed) claim that the protesters have been unfairly labeled pro-Hamas.

An immediate threat arrived in the form of a White House executive order and “fact sheet” purporting to “combat antisemitism.” Framed by chilling rhetoric about “leftist, anti-American universities,” the order calls for deporting student visa holders accused of protesting Israel’s war in Gaza, characterizing them as “pro-Hamas” supporters of terrorism. In turn, on Monday, news came out that the Department of Education was proactively launching a widespread investigation into alleged antisemitic discrimination at Columbia and four other universities.

These actions are the result of 15 months of misrepresentation, instrumentalization, and abuse of grief and fear, all while claiming to protect Jews and other members of our campus community. The spurious interpretation of protests against the U.S.-funded destruction of Gaza as “pro-Hamas” sentiment is consistent with the Trump administration’s malicious denunciation of protesters objecting to any of its policies—whether Black Lives Matter demonstrators or an Episcopal Bishop counseling mercy.

No one here is really pro-Hamas, they are arguing. That's a lie concocted by those opposed to the protesters. There's just one problem with this argument. CUAD, the group organizing these protests at Columbia, clearly supports Hamas.

Last March they invited a terror loving husband and wife to an off-campus event at which they talked about their connections to terror groups and defended support for Hamas, both the political wing and the militant fighters.

I feel like I am burying the lead here but...

"The fact is that Hamas is a mass Palestinian movement that is in a leadership role in the liberation struggle right now and there is nothing wrong with being a member of Hamas, being a leader of Hamas, being a fighter, and Hamas,… pic.twitter.com/IxdKpaQmea

— Stu (@thestustustudio) March 26, 2024

Last October, CUAD made it clear they supported violence when they praised a terror attack in Tel Aviv.

.@Columbia Apartheid Divest (CUAD) praises the terrorist attack in Tel Aviv, “targeting security forces and settlers”. The terrorists murdered Inbar-Segev Vigder who was protecting her 9 months old baby.
Do members and advisors of the 116 student groups in CUAD support this? https://t.co/ZHx987axR8 pic.twitter.com/ZrnVXCYNDa

— Gil Zussman (@gil_zussman) October 3, 2024

A few days later, on the one year anniversary of the surprise attack on Israel by Hamas, CUAD held a student walkout at which protesters changed "Long live the Intifada!" Cheering for the intifada on the anniversary of the most deadly attack on Jews since the Holocaust seems pretty indicative of support for Hamas and for terrorism.

NOW: Columbia University Pro-Palestine students walk off campus to mark October 7th

Video by @a_lkoakes @FreedomNTV [email protected] to license pic.twitter.com/nuY2YvKSyK

— Oliya Scootercaster 🛴 (@ScooterCasterNY) October 7, 2024

A few days after that, the group was explicit about their ongoing support for "armed resistance." In context, that means they support Hamas (and also probably Hezbollah).

“We support liberation by any means necessary, including armed resistance,” the group, Columbia University Apartheid Divest, said in its statement...

The group marked the anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by distributing a newspaper with a headline that used Hamas’s name for it: “One Year Since Al-Aqsa Flood, Revolution Until Victory,” it read, over a picture of Hamas fighters breaching the security fence to Israel. And the group posted an essay calling the attack a “moral, military and political victory” and quoting Ismail Haniyeh, the assassinated former political leader of Hamas.

Last November the group held a meeting on campus to honor all of the "martyrs" in Palestine, meaning all those who have died including all of the Hamas fighters. A speaker at the event said explicitly that they wanted to honor "those who resisted, whether violently or non-violently."

Columbia students hold a memorial for Yahya Sinwar and all the “martyrs.” pic.twitter.com/x2F6FZswA6

— Eli Kowaz - איליי קואז (@elikowaz) November 11, 2024

And there's more of this, including a meeting where these activists read a poem by Yahya Sinwar, the deceased terrorist who planned the 10/7 terror attack on Israel. If you support Sinwar, you support Hamas.

The idea that these "pro-Palestinian protesters" don't support Hamas is just laughable at this point. They've made it clear over and over that they do. The professors who, despite all that evidence, are currently saying otherwise are clearly part of the problem at Columbia. It would be interesting to see whether any of them would change their positions if confronted with the facts and forced to admit that these students support Hamas. My guess is they would deny the evidence and continue to pretend this isn't happening. They don't appear interested in the truth, only in creating space for more anti-Semitic protests.

Over the weekend, CUAD held another teach-in on the first Intifada.

Please, guys, once again, the event has been changed and is NOT taking place at the church. They are getting harassed. This is their new flyer pic.twitter.com/7w0n7eQg5s

— Adi 🎗 (@Adi13) February 6, 2025

The event did take place. Columbia claims this had nothing to do with the school but CUAD is a coalition of authorized student groups.

Columbia is lying. CUAD is sanctioned by the university because it derives its power and resources from the numerous student groups that comprise it. Try again @Columbia https://t.co/H6bPHVDAl8

— Eliana Goldin (@Eliana_Goldin) February 6, 2025

I guess we'll see if Columbia decides to stop pretending these Hamas supporters aren't students.