Young Democratic Socialists of America pledged to ‘liaise’ with banned group that called for ‘death to America’ in apparent violation of university policy
Columbia University has placed its Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) chapter on interim suspension in the wake of a Washington Free Beacon report highlighting the group’s plans to “liaise with Columbia University Apartheid Divest” (CUAD), the banned student organization that wished “death to America” amid the U.S. military operations in Iran. Those plans appeared to violate Columbia’s “zero tolerance” policy barring recognized student groups from affiliating with CUAD.
“The University has placed the Columbia-Barnard Young Democratic Socialists of America group on interim status as we investigate these allegations,” a Columbia spokesman told the Free Beacon on Wednesday. “During this change in status, the group will not be eligible for benefits afforded to recognized student groups and will not be entitled to use University space or funds.”
On March 1, Columbia said that it had required all recognized student groups, including YDSA, to disavow CUAD as part of the university’s “Zero Tolerance policy.” All groups complied, Columbia said, allowing them to “retain their official recognition” and receive benefits from the university like access to campus spaces and funding.
YDSA’s official Columbia webpage, however, included a link to an interest form that said the group coordinates with other banned “leftist groups”—Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP)—to “plan actions and liaise with Columbia University Apartheid Divest.”
Access to the form was restricted by Wednesday morning, and YDSA’s official Columbia webpage now only shows frequently asked questions about the university.
YDSA’s collaborations with CUAD, SJP, JVP, and any other banned groups gave them access to the benefits YDSA enjoyed as a recognized student organization. SJP and JVP were suspended in November 2023 “after the two groups repeatedly violated University policies related to holding campus events,” and Columbia has also prohibited recognized student groups from working with them.
YDSA collaborated with CUAD online immediately after Columbia issued its zero tolerance policy on July 15. On July 22, it co-published an Instagram post alongside the account “columbia4palestine,” which CUAD has used to share footage of its illegal demonstrations after Meta banned a previous account bearing the group’s name. The post condemned Columbia for suspending some 80 students arrested in a May library storming organized by CUAD. It noted that a “full press release” on the matter could be found in its bio—the link points to an official CUAD statement.
Other banned student groups have indicated that they partnered with YDSA to leverage its access to Columbia resources.
A leader for the university’s chapter of the left-wing Students for a Democratic Society said it collaborates with YDSA “because they get funding from Columbia workspaces.” The group has tied itself to illegal actions alongside CUAD, including its posters appearing alongside red inverted triangles—a symbol Hamas uses to denote Israeli targets—painted in a campus bathroom and promoting a protest outside a historic Manhattan synagogue, at which a mob threw bottles and sticks at Holocaust survivors.
YDSA participated in the illegal anti-Israel encampment at Columbia in April 2024 and encouraged its supporters to send Venmo donations to CUAD soon after it formed. More recently, it has hosted anti-ICE trainings and organizing efforts aimed at “building socialism at Columbia.” It also campaigned for New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani, a DSA member who defended the phrase “globalize the intifada.”
YDSA did not respond to a request for comment.
