Columbia University Activist Defends Call for Zionist Deaths amid Controversy

Columbia University activist Khymani James has defended his controversial video calling for the death of Zionists by blaming “far-right agitators” for editing and spreading clips from a livestream without context. In the footage, which was published on Thursday but recorded in January, James said that he would fight to kill Zionists because they were trying to harm him due to his sexuality and race. He also claimed that taking someone’s life could be necessary if their ideology resulted in mass death and that people like this should not exist. Following the outcry over his comments, James issued a statement expressing regret but did not apologise for advocating violence against Zionists. Instead, he said that what he had said was wrong and every member of the community deserved to feel safe without qualification. However, he maintained that Zionism is a genocidal ideology bent on destroying Palestinian people. James has emerged as a central figure in pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University which have attracted controversy for extreme statements made by participants. A video showed him appearing to lead a human wall of protesters trying to push students out of the tent camp, and another footage published recently shows Rep Ilhan Omar (D-MN) meeting with the protestors in a friendly manner, including James himself. Zionism refers to the political movement advocating for Jewish homeland which originated in the 19th century. The British government’s Balfour Declaration of support for this cause in Palestine was issued by Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour in 1917 when it was still part of Ottoman Empire, and following World War II’s Holocaust resulted in Israel being established as a modern state in 1948.