White House Condemns Anti-Zionist Remarks by Columbia Student; Biden Addresses Protests at Earth Day Press Conference

The White House has criticized a Columbia University student, Khymani James, for making remarks advocating the murder of Zionists during an official inquiry at the university in January. Following the release of a video showing these inflammatory comments, which were first reported by The Daily Wire, James expressed regret on Friday morning. When asked if a White House employee would be fired for similar statements, Press Secretary Jen Psaki replied that they “would be fired immediately”. Columbia University has described these comments as unacceptable and against its student conduct policies. In response to the controversy surrounding anti-Israel protests at Columbia, President Joe Biden stated in an Earth Day press conference on Thursday that he condemns both antisemitic protests and those who do not understand what is happening with Palestinians. James has previously been quoted by media outlets such as CBS News and The New York Times as a spokesperson for the anti-Israel demonstrations at Columbia, while in 2021, when he was only seventeen years old, the Boston Globe profiled him for his “confrontational” approach to fighting injustice.