“An anti-Israel student organization coalition at Columbia University in New York City posted a message reading ‘Death to America’ in Farsi on Feb. 28,” reports Campus Reform. Farsi is the language spoken by a majority of Iran’s people.
Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), posted the “Death to America” message. Last year, it organized a campus encampment that was accused of antisemitism and making it harder for people to get around campus.
Campus Reform reports that
The organization explained in a post that “X forced us to delete our ‘marg bar amrika’ tweet in order to gain back access to our account but the sentiment still stands.”
Following the backlash, CUAD posted that it had gained “thousands of eyes” on its social media account and encouraged supporters to donate to an organization that provides services for people in Gaza.
In a separate post, CUAD stated that it has “no affiliation to or ties with” Columbia University and operates “completely outside of the purview of a registered student organization.” The group added that it does not receive official recognition from the university.
However, many university-sponsored groups are part of CUAD (such as the Black Student Organization, Somali Student Association, Latinx Law Students Association, and African Students Association). It is a coalition of university-sponsored groups, even if it itself is not directly sponsored by Columbia University.
A website describes CUAD as a “a coalition made up of more than 80 Columbia student groups, including Students for Justice in Palestine, Jewish Voice for Peace, Student Workers of Columbia, and Columbia Social Workers for Palestine.”
Wikipedia notes that “Among the over 120 student groups that eventually joined CUAD were the Anthropology Graduate Student Association, Caribbean Students Association, and the campus chapters of Amnesty International, Jewish Voice for Peace, Students for Justice in Palestine, and Young Democratic Socialists of America.”
CUAD believes in abolishing police and prisons and believes that “Turtle Island” — what it calls America — is an illegitimate empire that should be abolished, with a duty to give America’s “land back” to indigenous peoples. It states that
We are committed to creating a multi-generational, intersectional, and accessible space dedicated to fighting for abolition, transnational feminism, anticapitalism, and decolonization, and also to combating anti-Blackness [and] queerphobia…We do not believe that prisons, police, profit over people, militarism, war, colonialism, or imperialism will keep us safe….
CUAD includes the following groups, it says:
1. Students for Justice in Palestine2. Jewish Voice for Peace3. Sunrise Columbia4. Somali Student Association5. Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race Student Advisory Board6. Young Democratic Socialists of America7. Columbia Queer and Asian8. Asian American Alliance9. Columbia Queer Alliance10. African Students Association11. Barnard Columbia Abolitionist Collective12. Housing Equity Project13. AAPI Interboard14. VP&S Muslim Students Association15. White Coats 4 Black Lives16. Global Learning Exchange17. CU Afghan Student Alliance18. Graduate Muslim Student Association19. Columbia Social Workers for Palestine20. Poetry Slam21. Proud Colors22. Student Worker Solidarity23. Law School Coalition for a Free Palestine24. Student Workers of Columbia25. Black Student Organization26. SIPA Palestine Working Group27. Columbia Vietnamese Students Association28. Columbia Law Students for Palestine29. Dar: the Palestine Student Union30. Columbia National Lawyers Guild31. Muslim Students Association32. African Studies Working Group33. Caribbean Students Association34. Barnard Organization of Soul and Solidarity35. AZINE Asian / American Arts & Zine Collective36. CU Turath (Arab Students Association)37. Columbia Humanitarian Organization for Migration and Emergencies38. Reproductive Justice Collective39. Columbia University Black Pre-Professional Society40. Pakistani Students Association41. Barnard Columbia Urban Review (missing rep 2 #)42. Sabor43. Masaha44. Club Bangla45. Mixed Heritage Society46. Columbia Chicanx Caucus47. VP&S Black and Latinx Student Organization48. Columbia Middle Eastern Law Association49. RightsViews (Human Rights Graduate Journal)50. School of Social Work Abolition Caucus51. Hifi Snock Uptown52. Take Back The Night53. Native American Council54. VP&S Global Health Organization55. VP&S Equity and Justice Fellowship56. Columbia Law Restorative Justice Collective57. Mujeres58. The Columbia Review59. Student Organization of Latines60. Alianza61. GSAS Queer Graduate Collective62. CU Amnesty International63. Columbia South Asian Feminisms Alliance64. Union Theological Seminary Students for a Free Palestine65. Muslim Law Students Association66. Columbia Law Parole Advocacy Project67. Mariachi Leones de Columbia68. Columbia Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association69. Columbia Law and Political Economy70. Columbia Care Access Project71. Columbia University Asian Pacific American Heritage Month72. Native American Law Students Association73. Columbia University Students for Human Rights74. Raw Elementz75. WBAR Radio76. South Asian Law Students Association77. Latinx Law Students Association78. Columbia Law School Empowering Women of Color79. Black Law Students Association at Columbia Law80. Sexual and Reproductive Health Action Group at Mailman School of Public Health81. CSSW Queer Caucus82. CURA Collective83. Students for Sanctuary84. Journal for Criminal Justice85. CLS Human Rights Association86. Columbia’s New York Small Claims Advisory Service87. Students for Free Tibet88. Payments for Placements Caucus at Columbia School of Social Work89. Columbia Policy Institute90. 4×4 Magazine91. Genderev92. Anthropology Graduate Student Association93. Human Rights Solidarity Network94. CLS Society for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
Columbia University Apartheid Divest is a coalition of student organizations that see Palestine as the vanguard for our collective liberation.
