Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD)

Philosophy and Demands

Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) claims to be inspired by the radical-left a student protest movements of the 1960s and 1970s, while also claiming to to be “a continuation of the Vietnam anti-war movement and the movement to divest from apartheid South Africa.” ³

CUAD supports “Land Back” and “Right of Return” policies that is claims will return land around the world to indigenous populations including Kurdistan, Sudan, Congo, Armenia, Ireland, Puerto Rico, Korea, Guam, Haiti, Hawai’i, Kashmir, and Cuba. ³ CUAD also supports the concept of “Turtle Island,” a term used by radical-left factions as a name for the territories of the United States and Canada. ^{4 3}

CUAD has demanded Columbia University divest financially from Israel, cancel the Tel Aviv Global Center, and end Columbia’s dual degree program with Tel Aviv University. ⁵ CUAD’s demands include a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas War, divestiture from Israel, protection Palestinian freedom of speech, and the reinstatement of students who were disciplined by Columbia for participating in encampments and occupation protests. ⁶

Antisemitism on Campus

Following the October 7, 2023 Hamas terror attack against the State of Israel and the subsequent Israel-Hamas War in Gaza, anti-Israel demonstrations occurred at universities  across the United States including at Columbia University. ^{7 8 9}

On April 26, Columbia University’s president, provost and co-board chairs released an open letter claiming, “The antisemitism being expressed by some individuals is intolerable and the safety situation has become concerning, particularly with the involvement of individuals not associated with Columbia.” ¹⁰  The letter referenced the case of Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) leader Khymani Jones, who was banned from campus after a video emerged of him claiming “Zionists don’t deserve to live” and “Be grateful that I’m not just going out and murdering Zionists.” ^{9 11}

In March 2024, CUAD promoted a “Resistance 101” panel featuring Khaled Barakat, an alleged member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which is designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the U.S. government. ^{12 13} The event was prohibited from using university facilities because of its ties to terrorist organizations, so it was instead held virtually by Columbia University students who were reportedly disciplined by the university as a result. ¹⁴ During the event, Barakat reportedly referred to members of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the PFLP as his “friends and brothers,” and speaker Charlotte Kates reportedly told attendees “there is nothing wrong with being a member of Hamas, being a leader of Hamas, being a fighter in Hamas… These are the people that are on the front lines defending Palestine.” ^{12 14}

The organization mourned the death of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in August 2024, characterizing his death as a “martyring” by the “Zionist entity.” ¹⁵ The organization has previously claimed Israel is actively committing genocide in the Palestinian territories ⁶ and that Columbia University staff met with “genocidal racists” during a staff visit to Israel in July 2024. ¹⁶

On October 8, 2024, CUAD released a statement retracting an apology made by group member Khymani James in April 2024 when he was caught on video stating, “Zionists don’t deserve to live.” ^{17 18} According to the new statement, the apology message was “…written by several CUAD organizers, not Khymani, and does not represent Khymani or CUAD’s values or political lines.” ¹⁸ The statement would go on to claim CUAD supports, “liberation by any means necessary, including armed resistance” ¹⁸ and further states, “…in the face of violence from the oppressor…violence is the only path forward.” ¹⁸

Divestiture Proposal

In December 2023, Columbia University Apartheid Divest submitted a proposal signed by 89 student groups to Columbia University‘s Advisory Committee on Socially Responsible Investing, calling for the university “to withdraw financial support from Israel” through financial divestment. ^{19 20}

The proposal called for Columbia’s investment funds to sell their holdings in major companies it claimed were complicit in Israeli “genocide,” “war crimes,” and “apartheid” including Hyundai, Volvo, Caterpillar, AirBnB, Microsoft, Alphabet (Google), Amazon, Barclays, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin. ¹⁹ A New York Times article noted that CUAD’s divestment demands were so broad that they included the largest asset management company in the world, BlackRock, which operates a number of exchange-traded funds and therefore owns shares of virtually every publicly traded company. ²⁰ In addition, CUAD’s proposal also called for Columbia to close its satellite campus in Tel Aviv and end its dual degree program with Tel Aviv University. ²¹

The university committee’s review rejected the proposal, determining “there is not broad consensus within the University community regarding the issue at hand, and therefore the CUAD proposal does not meet the broad consensus test required for consideration of divestment.” ²²

As of October 2024, organizations supporting CUAD’s demands included Students for Justice in Palestine, Jewish Voice for Peace, Black Student Organization, Sunrise Columbia, Somalia Student Association, Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race Student Advisory Board, Young Democratic Socialists of America, Asian American Alliance, Housing Equity Project, White Coats 4 Black Lives, Proud Colors, Columbia Law Students for Palestine, Columbia National Lawyers Guild, and the Muslim Students Association. ⁶

Encampment Protests

On April 17, 2024, Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) and its allies created an unauthorized encampment on Columbia University’s South Lawn on the same day that university president Minouche Shafik testified before the U.S. Congress concerning the rise of antisemitic rhetoric and action on Columbia’s campus. ²

Protestors within the encampment, made from Columbia students and non-student activists, called the encampment both the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” and the “People’s University for a Liberated Palestine.” ² At the request of the university, New York Police Department (NYPD) and university public safety officers partially dismantled the encampment and arrested more than 100 protestors, including Isra Hirsi, daughter of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), who visited the encampment in support of the protestors. ²

After nearly two weeks of negotiations, the university announced that it would not be meeting the protestors’ demands and set a deadline of 2 P.M. on Monday, April 29 for student protestors to leave the encampment or be suspended from school. ² After the deadline passed, the university began suspending the remaining encampment protestors. ² Later on the night of the 29th,  CUAD organizers and activists occupied the university’s Hamilton Hall, unofficially renaming it “Hind’s Hall” after a Palestinian child reportedly killed by Israeli forces. A CUAD statement said they would occupy the building until the university met the protestors’ demands for divestment from Israel, “financial transparency” around the university’s investments, and amnesty for all protestors. ²³ The university announced that students who continued occupying the building would be expelled, and NYPD officers cleared both the encampment and occupiers resulting in roughly 109 arrests. ²

Leadership

Columbia University student Khymani James was one of the leaders of Columbia University Apartheid Divest. He has been recorded saying that “Zionists don’t deserve to live.” ¹⁷