Anti-Zionist activists injure Barnard College employee during protest

Over 50 anti-Zionist activists staged a protest at Columbia-affiliated Barnard College on Wednesday, resulting in the injury of one college employee.

The protest was organized by Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine (Columbia SJP), as well as Jewish Voice for Peace, a left-wing, anti-Israel Jewish organization.

The activists had gathered “to protest the expulsion of two students who disrupted an Israeli professor’s class at the start of the semester,” the Times of Israel reported.

Videos showed protestors dressed in keffiyehs and masks, playing drums, and chanting anti-Zionist slogans.

The Columbia SJP listed their demands in a post on 𝕏, demanding, among other things, the “immediate reversal of the two Barnard students’ expulsion.”

BREAKING: 50+ COLUMBIA STUDENTS FLOOD ADMIN OFFICE OF BARNARD COLLEGE DEMANDING

1. Immediate reversal of the two Barnard students’ expulsions.
2. Amnesty for all students disciplined for pro-Palestine action or thought. Drop all the charges now!
3. A public meeting with Dean… pic.twitter.com/QKSBQ6jIUg

— Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine (@ColumbiaSJP) February 26, 2025

According to the New York Post, “a Barnard spokesperson said the protesters ‘physically assaulted’ a college employee, sending them to the hospital.”

The NY Post further reported that the protestors placed the blame on the Barnard College public safety officers, saying that protestors were “harassed and shoved.”

Barnard College vice president Robin Levine stated that the escalation was caused by the students, saying that “multiple good-faith efforts to de-escalate” were made by the college.

Levine told the Times of Israel that the student protestors showed “blatant disregard for the safety of our community,” and that “violence and intimidation have no place” at Barnard College.

Laura Rosenbury, the president of Barnard College, also issued a statement regarding the incident.

“A small group of masked protesters attempted to undermine Barnard’s core values of respect, inclusion, and academic excellence,” she said, adding that “their disregard for the safety of our community remains completely unacceptable.”