Video: See the harsh reality of antisemitism at Columbia University
November 13, 2023
Once an esteemed institution, Columbia University has fallen prey to the scourge of antisemitism that has taken hold at elite universities across the country.
Nearly two dozen groups at Columbia University signed a joint letter in the wake of an attack on Israel that left 1,200 dead and at least 2,700 wounded. That letter suggested such violence was inevitable, saying, “If every political avenue available to Palestinians is blocked, we should not be surprised when resistance and violence break out.”
In response, AIM sent mobile billboards to the campus of Columbia to hold these hateful, antisemitic students accountable. It got some truly unhinged responses from students – so much of a reaction that we sent AIM President Adam Guillette to film a man-on-the-street video showing just how the billboards are being received.
“How dare you come here after putting our students..” one student approached Guillette, shouting from several feet away. When she did reach him, Guillette asked, “How are you doing today?”
“I’m f****** awful because you’re here!” she said.
Another person Guillette spoke to questioned the “purpose” of Israel, and said he thought it solely existed for the U.S. to “keep up its oppression and hegemony in the region.”
The first student went on to try to cover the side of the truck with her keffiyeh while shouting, “you are a waste of space, of energy, of time, and of money! Get out of here!”
That’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Guillette getting shouted down and lectured.
“I think you have to let us solve the issues of campus antisemitism by ourselves,” another student said.
“Yeah, how’s that going for you?” Guillette responded.
That student’s only response to that was that she had seen antisemitism on campus, but not from any of the people on the truck — but she was unwilling to share further on that. Another student said he had not seen antisemitism on campus.
But that’s not what we heard from one Jewish student, whose parents are Israeli.
“I’ve experienced so much on campus with what’s going on, antagonization for being Jewish and being Israeli,” she said. She said that antagonization started following the October 7 attacks. She detailed how time and again, people have told her to “go to hell” and have said the posters of Israeli hostages were “fake news.”
When she went to the administration about it, they did nothing, she said. She spoke to public safety, the dean, and her resident advisor — still nothing.
When the university won’t hold these hateful students accountable, and when some students don’t believe it’s a problem, Accuracy in Media will.
Join our accountability campaign at Columbia by clicking here.