Anti-Israel protests continue at Columbia, even targeting Hillary Clinton, in what university officials defend as ‘a good example’ of ‘respectful speech’

Anti-Israel student protestors at Columbia University continue to demonstrate, and even barraged Hillary Clinton with chants about “genocide” as she departed a classroom.

The former secretary of state and first lady teaches a course at the University called “Inside the Situation Room,” which centers on her experiences with diplomacy.

Videos circulating on social media show student protestors chanting, “Hillary, Hillary you can’t hide, you are supporting genocide,” as well as “Take our demands” and “Shame on you.” 

One pro-Palestine Columbia student wrote on X that Clinton “was shamed out” Wednesday morning because she “has refused to let students ask her questions about Palestine.” 

Columbia leadership characterized the protest as “respectful speech.” 

“We continue to support our students who wish to express themselves through respectful speech while at the same time we fulfill our responsibility to maintain the core activities of our school. Today was a good example of balancing these principles,” the Columbia School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) said in a statement to Fox News. 

Clinton, who recently spoke out on the conflict between Israel and Hamas, has drawn the ire of anti-Israel extremists for failing to offer unequivocal support to Palestine.  

“President Obama and I were both wary of suggesting that Israel did not have a right and a responsibility to defend itself against terrorists,” Clinton explained in a Nov. 14 op-ed in The Atlantic, reflecting on her time working on the Israel-Gaza conflict during the Obama administration. 

Clinton wrote she is “convinced Hamas must go.”  

“On October 7, these terrorists killed babies, raped women, and kidnapped innocent civilians,” she continued. “They continue to hold more than 200 hostages. They have proved again and again that they will not abide by cease-fires, will sabotage any efforts to forge a lasting peace, and will never stop attacking Israel.” 

Columbia’s student body has been mired in conflict and aggression centered on the conflict since the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel. In a piece republished by Columbia’s Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies, Dr. Avi Shilon, a historian, political scientist and teaching fellow, detailed the tensions arising on campus. 

Shilon describes witnessing a gathering of about 100 protestors, including the daughter of Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. 

“The chorus was conducted by a student who claimed to be originally from the West Bank. The rallying cry was ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,’” Shilon wrote. “About 20 Jewish students stood in front of them. In terms of the students’ fashion, which also has weight in conflicts, it was clear who represented the geek and who the dominant voice. 

“That evening, I heard about students who stopped coming to classes and a student who was beaten in the dorms for hanging a mezuzah outside their room.” 

New York City has been dealing with similar protests and antisemitic violence, even in its public schools. 

On Nov. 9, the ‘#schools4Palestine’ walkout trend impacted an estimated 100 New York City public schools as students disrupted and departed from class to demonstrate their support for Palestine.  

At one New York City school, a pro-Israel teacher was forced to hide from a mob of students who overtook the halls and ripped a water fountain off the wall while protesting for her ousting.