Columbia prohibits protest leader for making anti-Zionist remarks

Columbia University has confirmed that Khymani James, an organizer of pro-Palestinian protests at the school, has been banned from its campus after a video surfaced in which he stated that “Zionists don’t deserve to live” and threatened to harm them.

The video, which emerged earlier this year, shows James making these comments in January. Around the same time, he had a meeting with school officials regarding a social media post where he mentioned fighting a Zionist, as reported by The Hill.

In the social media post, James wrote, “I don’t fight to injure or for there to be a winner or a loser, I fight to kill.”

In a tweet on X Friday, James apologized for his inflammatory language, acknowledging that his remarks were “wrong” and that everyone “deserves to feel safe without exception.”

He also mentioned that his words were taken out of context by “far-right agitators” who edited a piece of his social media post. “I am frustrated that words I said in an Instagram live video have become a distraction from the movement for Palestinian liberation,” James added. “I misspoke in the heat of the moment, for which I apologize.”

The White House strongly condemned James’ comments on Friday, labeling them “dangerous” and appalling.”

“These dangerous, appalling statements turn the stomach and should serve as a wakeup call. It is hideous to advocate for the murder of Jews,” said White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates in a statement. “President [Joe] Biden has been clear that violent rhetoric, hate speech, and antisemitic remarks have no place in America whatsoever, and he will always stand against them.”

Columbia’s decision to ban James comes amid ongoing protests regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. 

The White House also denounced calls for “violence and physical intimidation targeting Jewish students.”

“While every American has the right to peaceful protest, calls for violence and physical intimidation targeting Jewish students and the Jewish community are blatantly Antisemitic, unconscionable, and dangerous — they have absolutely no place on any college campus, or anywhere in the United States of America,” Bates stated in a recent release.