2024-03-24 Resistance 101 with Samidoun


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Description

Additional evidence: folder

On Sunday, March 24, 2024 Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) student group organized a “Resistance 101” event [screenshot] at a Barnard facility during Purim, which is the Jewish holiday.

We obtained the video [part1, part2], the audio, and the transcript of the Zoom webinar [screenshot].

The event that was advertised [screenshot] on social media by cu.psm, features speakers from the organizations Within Our Lifetime (WOL), Masar Badil, the Palestinian Alternative Revolutionary Path Movement, and Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Network, an organization with known ties to Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) that was placed on the list of terrorist entities by a number of countries. Samidoun and Hamas have been banned in Germany.

Speakers

The head of WOL is Nardeen Kiswani, who was one of the speakers. Khaled Barakat is reportedly a leader of Masir Badil, the Palestinian Alternative Revolutionary Path Movement, has also been identified as a senior leader in the PFLP-associated Samidoun  and his wife Charlotte Kates  is also alleged to be a leader in the PFLP-associated Samidoun , were both speakers at the Resistance 101 event. Barakat has also been alleged to be a leader of PFLP.

Event Organizers

Along with CUAD, one co-organizer of the event was Within Our Lifetime that is known for violent protests and disruptions that have put many New Yorkers in danger. Another co-organizer of the event was Samidoun Palestinian Prisoners Network, which reportedly co-organized with WOL rallies in support of Hamas following the October 7th attack.

Event Location

The event was originally planned to be hosted in URIS 326 (original flier). It was then moved to the Barnard Center for Research on Women (BCRW) (updated flier). However, it appears that after initial outcry Barnard restricted access to campus to those who possessed a valid Columbia University ID. The event was then moved to Columbia’s Q House, a Special Interest Community (SIC) residence for LGBTQ students (email notifying participants of relocation).

Faculty Support

It was particularly disturbing that promotion and support for this event featuring speakers and groups affiliated with the designated terrorist organizations came from Columbia faculty chapter of Faculty for Justice in Palestine (FJP).  Another faculty organization Barnard Center for Research on Women (BCRW) provided logistical support by agreeing to host the event, as was noted above.

Follow Up

The House Committee on Education and the Workforce posted about the concerning incident, noting that the event was held by Columbia University students with faculty support, and that the event included “Khaled Barakat, who has been identified as a member of the US-designated terrorist org PFLP.”  The House Committee also cited a video of Barakat, noting that Barakat told students how “ ‘friends at Hamas & Islamic Jihad’ emphasized the importance of campus support.”

Professor Shai Davidai wrote a letter to Columbia administration demanding that all involved in organizing this event be held accountable and reminding the administration that they were alerted to this event in advance.

An amazing step-by-step breakdown of the Zoom session into 21 easy digestible highlights with explanation by Stu, a citizen journalist.

March 27, 2024

  • After the event was prominently featured in a number of articles and was tweeted about by the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, the Israeli Embassy and Columbia Jewish Alumni Association, President Rosenbury of Barnard College sent a mass email that renounced all responsibility for this event ignoring the facts that prior to massive outcry, the event had been approved to be hosted at Barnard Center for Research on Women and ultimately took place in another Columbia-managed facility.

  • David Greenwald, the Co-Chair of Columbia trustees, sent an email regarding the event. As demonstrated [saved] by professor Shai Davidai, the email was full of half-truths and misrepresentations. 

March 28, 2024

  • Professor Shai Davidai met with Columbia’s General Counsel Felice B. Rosan, Chief Operating Officer Cas Holloway, VP of Public Safety Gerald Lewis Jr., and Vice Dean of Administration and Chief Operating Officer of the Business School Katie Conway among others. Professor Davidai requested this meeting to discuss safety of Jewish and Israeli faculty and students in the wake of the “Resistance 101” event where Hamas, PFLP and by extension their violent tactics were praised and students were being recruited to the cause of these designated by the US government foreign terrorist organizations. However, Columbia administrators present refused to engage on this important topic and instead wished to limit the scope of the meeting to professor Davidai’s personal physical safety. The meeting was recorded by professor Davidai and posted [saved video] on X/Twitter.

  • Columbia COO Cas Holloway issued a statement regarding the event.

April 5, 2024

  • Columbia President Minouche Shafik issued a statement regarding the event.

Media

Social Media

X/Twitter

LinkedIn

  • Akiva Shapiro of the Columbia Jewish Alumni Association: post.

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