Outspoken Israeli Prof Denied Campus Entry as Columbia Tries to Avoid Protest Clashes
A Jewish Israeli professor at Columbia found his access to campus denied on Monday morning as he attempted to join a planned counter protest, exacerbating tensions over competing pro-Israel and Palestine demonstrations even as the university tries to keep the pressure from spilling over.
Video of the incident shows Prof. Shai Davidai, who organized the counter-protest in support of Israel, attempting to access campus only to find his ID card deactivated.
“I am a professor here, I have every right to be everywhere on campus. You cannot let people that support Hamas on campus, and me, a professor, not go on campus,” he says in the video, addressing Columbia’s Chief Operating Officer Cas Holloway.