Wife of man who helped fund terrorist group joined pro-Hamas protest at Columbia University: Report
The wife of a former professor who pled guilty to a federal terrorism charge was apparently among the pro-Hamas protesters who set up an encampment at Columbia University.
On Tuesday night, dozens of NYPD officers were dispatched to Columbia's campus to break up the pro-Hamas protests that were simultaneously going on inside a building and outside on the lawn. Radicals had barricaded themselves inside Hamilton Hall, destroying property and threatening the safety of students and school employees, as Blaze News previously reported.
Meanwhile, the university's West Lawn, where activists had set up tents sometime last week, had become increasingly violent as well.
Among those who joined the lawn radicals was Nahla al-Arian, the wife of Sami al-Arian, a former computer engineering professor at the University of South Florida. Fans of Bill O'Reilly's former Fox News program may remember that Mr. al-Arian made an appearance on the show shortly after the September 11 attacks, an appearance that led to suspicion that he participated in terrorism-related activities.
In 2003, Sami al-Arian was indicted on 17 charges. Two years later, he pled guilty to one count of "Conspiracy to make or receive contributions of funds, goods or services to or for the benefit of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a Specialty Designated Terrorist [organization]," an archived version of court documents said.
He served several years in prison and was deported at least once.
Last Friday, Sami al-Arian posted to X a photo of his wife, Nahla, who appeared to be sitting among the tents on the West Lawn. The message attending the photo bragged that Nahla was standing "in solidarity with the brave and very determined Columbia University students."
My wife Nahla in solidarity with the brave and very determined Columbia University students. pic.twitter.com/ximkHFbZeo
— Sami Al-Arian (@SamiAlArian) April 26, 2024
Whether Nahla was still on campus on Tuesday when the police arrived is unclear. However, New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) may have alluded to her during his statements about the arrests on campus that night.
Adams claimed that the pro-Hamas protests had been hijacked by "external agitators." Though he did not mention any such agitators by name, he did add, "One of the individual's husband was arrested for and convicted for terrorism on a federal level," the New York Post reported.
In a separate conversation with CBS, Adams reiterated: "One of them was married to someone that was arrested for terrorism."
Adams declined to give more details about the individual he had in mind. He did not even confirm whether the mysterious spouse in question was among the hundreds of arrestees. "I’m going to let the Intelligence Division do their job on what information should be released and what information should not be released," he said.
However, he did also say, perhaps coyly: "If you look, you can find this information. They’re probably acknowledging themselves on social media platforms."
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Cops use pepper balls, tasers to break up pro-Hamas protests at Emory University — arrest some faculty members
The pro-Hamas protests spreading across college campuses around the nation recently reached Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, with more than 100 activists gathered on campus.
Local reports stated that police arrested at least 28 protesters on Thursday. The Georgia Department of Public Safety noted that the Emory Police Department would issue any and all charges. The Atlanta Police Department also assisted in breaking up the protest.
Videos posted online capturing the unruly demonstrations appeared to show law enforcement using tasers and pepper balls to disperse the crowd.
The rowdy group used large protest signs to shove law enforcement officers. Some activists appeared to throw their signs at police.
Emory students show zero respect for hard-working law enforcement officers as they shove them against a wall and assault them and shout \u2018KKK\u2019 as the officers struggle to push them back.— (@)
Caroline Fohlin, a professor at the university, was among those detained by police. A video of the arrest showed Fohlin refusing to get on the ground and yelling at arresting officers, “I’m a professor!”
An individual, presumably partaking in the anti-Israel protest, can be heard shouting at the police, “You people are fascists! You are Hitler!”
"I'm a professor!"\n\nEmory University economics professor Caroline Fohlin thrown to the ground by police during Pro-Palestine protest.— (@)
Philosophy Department Chair and president-elect of the Emory University Senate, Noëlle McAfee, was also among those detained.
Chair of the Emory University Philosophy Department handcuffed and arrested. \n\nNoelle McAfee was arrested for participating in the unlawful protest on campus.— (@)
James Hoesterey, an assistant professor of religion at the university, was seen tearing down caution tape put up around a lawn, according to a video posted to social media. Pro-Israel students confronted the professor, who then called the university “fascists.”
A liberal professor, James Hoesterey at Emory University has a meltdown over cushion tape stopping people from occupying the lawn. \n\nThese are the people who are teaching our children.— (@)
In another video, law enforcement officers appeared to use pepper balls to break up the crowd by firing toward the ground. Others, frustrated by the shutdown of the protest, claimed that rubber bullets were fired at students.
from PublicFreakout
Emory University said in a statement to Fox News, “Several dozen protesters trespassed into Emory University’s campus early Thursday morning and set up tents on the Quad.”
“These individuals are not members of our community. They are activists attempting to disrupt our university as our students finish classes and prepare for finals. Emory does not tolerate vandalism or other criminal activity on campus. The Emory Police Department ordered the group to leave and contacted Atlanta Police and Georgia State Patrol for assistance,” the statement continued.
Following the morning arrests, some protesters returned to campus in the evening, congregating at the university’s Candler School of Theology building, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The demonstrators, carrying Palestinian flags and holding protest signs, chanted, “Move cops, get out the way.”
Emory Police Department Commander Thomas Manns told the news outlet, “The ones that were arrested, there wasn’t anything peaceful about what was going on.”
The state patrol said, “During the encampment protest response, Troopers deployed pepper balls to control the unruly crowd but did not use tear gas.”
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Columbia bars Jewish, pro-Israel professor from campus where pro-Hamas students have taken over — cancels in-person classes
Columbia University has reportedly barred an Israel-born, Jewish professor from entering the Ivy League’s main campus, where pro-Hamas students have taken over, the New York Post reported.
Shai Davidai, an assistant professor at Columbia Business School, has been an outspoken supporter of Israel and called for “a PEACEFUL sit in at Columbia’s declared ‘Liberation Zone’” on Monday morning amid the ongoing protests at the New York university.
Anti-Israel students set up an encampment on the lawn at the center of campus, where they have erected Palestinian flags and draped their tents with protest signs. According to the New York Times, the area is being referred to by some as the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment.”
When Davidai arrived on campus Monday morning to hold the scheduled peaceful counterprotest, he discovered that his school identification card had been deactivated.
In a video posted to social media, Davidai shouted to fellow pro-Israel students, “I have not just a civil right, a civil right as a Jewish person to be on campus, I have a right as a professor employed by the university to be on campus.”
“They deactivated my card,” he added. “They are not letting me on main campus.”
As of last October Davidai was apparently not tenured, so I\u2019m unclear how many legal protections he has, but Columbia going back to kid-glove treatment of students occupying their campus and then firing a Jewish professor by deactivating his ID badge seems like bad optics to me— (@)
Davidai pointed out the “irony” that his card still grants him access to Columbia’s Manhattanville campus, where he teaches.
“I was just told by [administrators] that I am [to be] let on the campus of the business school where I’m teaching tomorrow,” the Post reported. “So they are willing to use Jewish brains, but they don’t want to let Jewish people in.”
In a post on X, Davidai explained that Columbia claimed it deactivated his card because it could not ensure his safety on the main campus, given the ongoing protests.
Earlier today, @Columbia University refused to let me onto campus. \n\nWhy? Because they cannot protect my safety as a Jewish professor. \n\nThis is 1938.— (@)
He slammed the university for continuing to protect the pro-Hamas protesters whom it has allowed to take over the campus.
“We know whose safety they can ensure — for the past five days, they’ve been ensuring the safety of the students who are calling on Hamas, to target Jewish students. That’s the safety that they are ensuring,” Davidai said.
He urged Jewish and pro-Israel students to be cautious around the protesters and called on them to take videos of the encampment.
“If they don’t let you in, and then document the fact that they’re not letting other Jewish people into campus,” he stated.
Columbia President Minouche Shafik testified before the House earlier this week. She told lawmakers that there have been several complaints about Davidai and that the university has launched an investigation into the professor.
Davidai has called for Shafik’s firing, as well as “everyone in the antisemitism task force at Columbia to resign right now.”
Last week, pro-Palestinian students took over campus and refused to leave until the university met a list of demands, which included removing funding from companies with ties to Israel, the Times reported.
Shafik called the police to remove the protesters; more than 100 arrests were made.
On Monday, the university announced that it would cancel in-person classes and switch to remote learning due to the unrest.
“I am deeply saddened by what is happening on our campus. Our bonds as a community have been severely tested in ways that will take a great deal of time and effort to reaffirm. Students across an array of communities have conveyed fears for their safety and we have announced additional actions we are taking to address security concerns,” Shafik wrote in a Monday statement.
She claimed that the school needs “a reset” due to increased tensions that “have been exploited and amplified by individuals who are not affiliated with Columbia who have come to campus to pursue their own agendas.”
“To deescalate the rancor and give us all a chance to consider next steps, I am announcing that all classes will be held virtually on Monday. Faculty and staff who can work remotely should do so,” she added. “Our preference is that students who do not live on campus will not come to campus.”
“I know that there is much debate about whether or not we should use the police on campus, and I am happy to engage in those discussions,” Shafik continued. “Over the past days, there have been too many examples of intimidating and harassing behavior on our campus. Antisemitic language, like any other language that is used to hurt and frighten people, is unacceptable and appropriate action will be taken. We urge those affected to report these incidents through university channels.”
Additional encampments sprouted up at Yale, the University of Michigan, and MIT to support the protesters arrested at Columbia.
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