Pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside Hillary Clinton’s class at Columbia University in New York City on Wednesday, confronting the former secretary of state amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. Video footage shared on social media shows Clinton walking past a common area of Columbia University’s International Affairs Building as demonstrators chant, “Hillary, Hillary you can’t hide, you are supporting genocide.”
The protest, staged outside the lecture, disrupted a class titled “Inside the Situation Room” taught by Clinton, who is also a former senator from New York. Despite the chants and signs held by the protesters, Clinton does not engage with them in the video.
The demonstrators, many of whom wore face masks, held signs with messages like “Columbia funds apartheid” and “Viva Viva Palestine,” while chanting the name of Clinton’s co-instructor, Keren Yarhi-Milo, dean and Adlai E. Stevenson professor of international relations, accusing both of supporting genocide.
As Clinton and Yarhi-Milo left the lecture hall, the student protesters shouted, “Take our demands, take our demands!” and “Shame on you! Shame on you!” Other signs seen in the protest read, “Columbia Has Blood on Its Hands.”
This confrontation comes after a previous incident in November, where about 30 students walked out of Clinton and Yarhi-Milo’s lecture in protest of the university’s alleged inability to protect pro-Palestinian students from being doxed. The walkout was also a response to trucks near campus that displayed the names and photos of students who signed a statement justifying Hamas’ attack on Israeli civilians.
In response to these incidents, Columbia University announced a task force on student safety, aiming to develop recommendations to prevent doxing and protect the identities and personal information of students. The university also seeks to reduce tensions among different student organizations regarding controversial national or international events.
Clinton’s class, “Inside the Situation Room,” offered by Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs, explores decision-making in various historical and contemporary contexts, drawing insights from academic fields such as political psychology and international relations.
The confrontation at Columbia University highlights the ongoing tensions surrounding the Israel-Hamas conflict and the differing perspectives on the issue. Pro-Palestinian protesters continue to voice their concerns about the university’s alleged support for apartheid and the Israeli government, while Clinton and Yarhi-Milo face criticism for their perceived stance on the conflict.
It remains to be seen how these protests and incidents will impact the discourse on the Israel-Hamas conflict and the involvement of prominent figures in academia and politics.
