Pro-Palestinian Protesters Say “Zionist Professors Are Not Welcomed” on Campus

A couple of pro-Palestinian protesters said during an April 2 protest in New York City that “Zionist professors are not welcomed” on campus.

Video footage from the protest shows Fatima Mohammed, a member of CUNY Law Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), telling protesters to “demand that Zionist professors are not welcomed on your campus. Demand that Zionist students are not in spaces where Palestinian students are because Zionism is a threat. Zionism is a genocidal threat to us.” 

Additionally, Nerdeen Kiswani, who chairs the pro-Palestinian group Within Our Lifetime and is also a member of CUNY Law SJP, chanted “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” at the protest and accused the Jewish National Fund and Jewish Communal Fund of being “Zionist organizations” that are “hiding behind Judaism.” “Every single organization on that list is a legitimate target because every single organization on that list supports the Zionist entity,” she added.

Calls for the ethic cleansing of Jews on the streets of New York

“Demand that Zionist professors are not welcomed on your campus. Demanded that Zionist students are not in places were Palestinian students are.”pic.twitter.com/SXxN80EA9j

— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) April 2, 2022

Shocking video of @WOLPalestine & @CUNYLawSJP activists claiming that Jewish orgs are acceptable targets bc they are "Zionist orgs hiding behind Judaism." They also demand that Zionist professors be fired & Zionist students not be allowed to share spaces w/ Palestinian students. pic.twitter.com/u6dnurPkiv

— Canary Mission (@canarymission) April 4, 2022

Chancellor Professor of Computer Science Judea Pearl, who is also the president of the Daniel Pearl Foundation and National Academy of Sciences member, tweeted in response to the video: “Dear Fatima Mohammed, I am one of those Zionist professors whom you wish to shun. Let me assure you that your organization, SJP, will be ousted from my campus way before me or any of my students, precisely because of racist demands such as those you have made today. Academia cannot tolerate student groups that call for the ethnic cleansing of other student groups. SJP, as well as other Zionophobic or Islamophobic groups, have no place on any university campus.”

Dear Fatima Mohammed, I am one of those Zionist professors whom you wish to shun. Let me assure you that your organization, SJP, will be ousted from my campus way before me or any of my students, precisely because of racist demands such as those you have made today.
1/2 https://t.co/7XCgHJuFeJ

— Judea Pearl (@yudapearl) April 2, 2022

Academia cannot tolerate student groups that call for the ethnic cleansing of other student groups. SJP, as well as other Zionophobic or Islamophobic groups, have no place on any university campus.
2/2

— Judea Pearl (@yudapearl) April 2, 2022

[/speaker-mute]Representative Ritchie Torres (D-NY) similarly tweeted, “Following a terror attack murdering 11 Israelis, an activist calls for ‘Zionist’ professors and students to be purged. How those Zionists are to be purged—she doesn’t say. But the context here is hard to ignore: ‘Globalize the Intifada’ is a call to antisemitic violence.”

Following a terror attack murdering 11 Israelis, an activist calls for “Zionist” professors and students to be purged.

How those Zionists are to be purged—she doesn’t say.

But the context here is hard to ignore: “Globalize the Intifada” is a call to antisemitic violence. https://t.co/J2M296IOv9

— Ritchie Torres (@RitchieTorres) April 4, 2022

Jewish groups echoed the tweets from Pearl and Torres.

“This isn’t free speech, it’s targeted harassment and ENOUGH is ENOUGH!” Stop Antisemitism tweeted.

As antisemitic attacks continue to SKYROCKET in NYC, @CUNYLaw’s Nerdeen Kiswani makes a list of Jewish orgs. in NYC to target.

This isn’t free speech, it’s targeted harassment and ENOUGH is ENOUGH! @NYCMayor @RitchieTorres @GovKathyHochul @leezeldin pic.twitter.com/pEW61k82tc

— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) April 5, 2022

The Simon Wiesenthal Center tweeted that the protesters are “targeting Jews, seeking to purge demonize and isolate them.” “Any protests from inside @CUNY?” they asked.

CUNY Law targeting Jews, seeking to purge demonize and isolate them. Any protests from inside @CUNY? https://t.co/smUts04bkQ

— SimonWiesenthalCntr (@simonwiesenthal) April 5, 2022

StandWithUs CEO and Co-Founder Roz Rothstein tweeted, “A group like SJP—that systematically promotes bigotry and regularly harms campus climate for anyone who cares about #Israel should not be allowed to operate let alone be given funding to promote their racism.”

Yes, a group like SJP—that systematically promotes bigotry and regularly harms campus climate for anyone who cares about #Israel should not be allowed to operate let alone be given funding to promote their racism. https://t.co/BvwQEV0rli

— Roz Rothstein (@RozRothstein) April 3, 2022

Students and Faculty for Equality (SAFE) CUNY, a nonpartisan group advocating for Zionist Jews to be treated equally at CUNY, tweeted: “Terroristic CUNY students call for expulsion of Zionist faculty and Jewish students from CUNY. Call for violence against all Jews at CUNY and in NYC. CUNY administration response is deafening silence?”

Terroristic CUNY students call for expulsion of Zionist faculty and Jewish students from CUNY. Call for violence against all Jews at CUNY and in NYC. CUNY administration response is deafening silence?

— SAFE CUNY ((Jewish Zionists)) (@SAFECUNY) April 5, 2022

Within Our Lifetime and CUNY Law SJP did not respond to the Journal’s requests for comment.