A Columbia University student who was suspended for declaring that “Zionists don't deserve to live” said on Tuesday that he was suspended after the anti-Israel campus group retracted an apology it made for last year's shocking statement. Supported inflammatory statements.
Kaimani James spouted hateful manifesto before being expelled from Ivy League school amid destructive protests criticizing Israel following October 7th Hamas terrorist attack He made it clear that he has no regrets.
“I will not allow anyone to shame me for my politics,” he said. tweeted on Tuesday. “Everything I said, I meant it.”
“Zionists don’t deserve to live comfortably, much less Zionists don’t deserve to live,” James said during a university disciplinary hearing in January, livestreamed and posted on social media. .
“Thank God I’m not just going out and killing Zionists,” James added. “I have never hurt anyone in my life, and I hope to continue to do so.”
The videotaped remarks resurfaced in April as anti-Israel protests intensified on campus. Columbia University Apartheid Divest, of which James was a member, released a statement saying, “Kaimani's comments in January do not reflect his views, our values, or the consensus of the camp community.” . The New York Times reported at that time.
But the anti-Israel group apologized in an Instagram post on Tuesday, saying the previous violation “does not reflect the values or political line of Kaimani or CUAD.”
The organization also said that although the statement appeared to be issued on behalf of James, he was not involved in it.
“We have caused irreparable harm by contributing to your ostracization by your fellow students, fellow organizers, the media, and the public.” group posted online In the aftermath, James said he faced anti-Black racism and homophobia.
“By issuing a so-called 'apology,' CUAD exposed Kaimani to further hatred from white supremacists, homophobic liberals, fascists, and neoliberal media.”
In the same social media post that supported his unpleasant remarks, James thanked the group for “setting the record straight once and for all.”
The reversal by CUAD, which is made up of dozens of student organizations, infuriated Jewish students who attend the university.
“They told me very clearly that as an Israeli, as a Zionist, as a Jew, I had no right to live, let alone study at the same university as them,” said doctoral student Aron Levin. he told the Post.
Eden Yadega, an undergraduate student who is part of a student group that supports Israel, said, “The rationalization of Zionist murderous desires and CUAD's support for U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organizations is not surprising at all, because it is… That's not new,” he said.
“The question is, why is Columbia still condoning it? What lines do students have to cross before Columbia takes action?”
A Colombian spokesperson stressed that the country condemns any comments calling for violence.
“Statements advocating violence and harm run counter to the principles on which this institution was founded,” the spokesperson said. “Calls for violence have no place at Columbia or at our universities.”
Last month, James filed a lawsuit against the school, claiming he was denied due process when he was suspended in April.
James actively participated in the anti-Israel encampment protests that have gripped occupied Colombia since early April.
