A Columbia professor was quickly shut down after warning her colleagues that the Morningside Heights campus had been infiltrated by outsiders with “known ties to terrorist organizations.”
Professor Carol Ewing Garber immediately had her mic muted after speaking out about campus security at the May 3 Zoom meeting of the university’s faculty senate — which was held hours after the school’s Hamilton Hall was overrun by a mob of Hamas-supporting students.
“There really is a need for good security on campus and it was very clear . . . that the university was unable to do that given the number of people from outside who were able to pass through our tight security to get onto campus,” Garber said. “We do know that there are groups who are supporting terrorists.”
Garber’s comment prompted pandemonium among the faculty Senate, video of the meeting shows.
The senate is a “policy-making body which may consider all matters of University-wide concern” but has little formal power in practice.
Jeanine D’Armiento, an associate dean for gender equity, shut off Garber’s mic while asserting there was “no evidence” for her claim.
“There is danger in that statement,” said D’Armiento. “I am trying to take our community a level down and that word is not going to do it. Maybe I broke the rules . . . but I cannot allow that kind of thing in a time like this.”
As other senators objected to the forced mute, D’Armiento shouted them down. “This is my meeting, my meeting, my meeting.”
Eventually D’Armiento allowed Garber, a professor of Movement Sciences and Education in the Department of Biobehavioral Sciences at Teachers College, to finished her remarks.
“It does need to be investigated and I think some of the groups, there is evidence that there are groups who are influencing student groups on campus in this country,” Garber said. “Many individuals feel afraid.”
Anti-Israel protesters have taken over Columbia in recent weeks, following Hamas’ Oct 7 surprise attack on the country, which left at least 1,200 dead.
Nahla Al-Arian, the wife of convicted terrorist Sami Al-Ahrian was spotted earlier this month paling around the school’s Hamas encampment.
And last month, Columbia suspended four students for participating in a campus event with Khaled Barakat, who called Hamas his “friends and brothers.”
Barakat has been accused of being a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine — a terrorist organization.
Mohammed el-Kurd, a radical Muslim activist and “Palestine correspondent” for liberal outlet The Nation, was also spotted at the encampment, just weeks after telling a British audience that Palestinians needed to “normalize massacres.”
El-Kurd later insisted he misspoke.
The fiery faculty senate meeting included public demands from some members that the body take a vote of no confidence against Columbia President Minouche Shafik for her decision to use police to clear out violent demonstrators from Hamilton Hall.
The NYPD presence on campus was “militarized state fascism,” said Minhas Wasaya, an MBA student.
Reached by phone Garber — who described herself as “left-leaning” — said D’Armiento and the senate are generally a “monolith” and “hostile” to viewpoints that stray from the program. She doubled down on her belief the campus had been infiltrated by rogue actors.
“Students for Justice in Palestine is one of them, which had been a recognized student group on campus at Columbia which has been dis-recognized, but they have continued to be active on campus,” Garber told The Post.
D’Armiento defended her actions, telling The Post that “I wanted to take a pause given the serious nature of these claims.”
