Trending |
Campus protests

'Good riddance': Ex-Columbia University president remembered for silencing pro-Palestine speech

Pro-Palestine advocates say Shafik's legacy is tainted by her crackdown on student protests and silencing pro-Palestinian speech
Then-president of Columbia University Dr Nemat (Minouche) Shafik testifies during a House Committee on education and workforce hearing about antisemitism on college campuses, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on 17 April 2024 (Drew Angerer/AFP)
By Pauline Ertel
Published date: 15 August 2024 21:14 BST | Last update: 3 months ago

The resignation of Columbia president Nemat "Minouche" Shafik has led to an outpouring of relief among students, faculty and activists in New York City, who say she will be largely remembered for her repression of Columbia's Palestine solidarity encampment. 

Late on Wednesday, Shafik announced she would give up her post as president of the New York-based Ivy League university with immediate effect, citing "a period of turmoil where it has been difficult to overcome divergent views across our community". 

"It has been distressing - for the community, for me as president and on a personal level - to find myself, colleagues, and students the subject of threats and abuse," she continued. 

Shafik, who was inaugurated as Columbia's president in July 2023, came under heavy criticism in April this year for her handling of the Palestine solidarity encampment which took place on Columbia's campus between 17 to 30 April. 

The movement was organised by several groups including Columbia University Apartheid Divest, Students for Justice in Palestine, and Jewish Voice for Peace and called for a ceasefire and for the university to divest from companies profiting from the war on Gaza and the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch

Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters

On 30 April, Shafik called in police forces who swarmed campus in riot gear to break up the encampment, using an armoured vehicle with a bridging mechanism to gain entry to the occupied Hamilton Hall building, which protestors renamed Hind's Hall after a six-year-old Palestinian girl killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, and arrested dozens of students.

Her resignation prompted an immediate celebration by Columbia University students on the streets of New York.

Tainted legacy

In reactions online, users welcomed the decision, remarking that Shafik's legacy will be tainted by her crackdown on students and the silencing of pro-Palestinian speech by both the student body and faculty. 

SJP Columbia posted on X that Shafik "finally got the memo".  The group also warned the future president of Columbia that whoever "does not pay heed to the Columbia student body’s overwhelming demand for divestment will end up exactly as President Shafik did".

Katrina Armstrong, the CEO of Columbia University Irving Medical Center, has agreed to serve as Columbia's interim president.

One user attached a video from the evening of 30 April, saying that Shafik will be "forever remembered" for allowing the crackdown on her students. 

Several Columbia University faculty members took to social media to highlight Shafik's "shameful" congressional hearing from 17 April during which Shafik testified about the prevalence and nature of antisemitism on campus and endorsed claims that the university was not doing enough to fight antisemitism. 

During the hearing, Shafik publicly accused Columbia professors Joseph Massad, Katherine Franke and Mohamed Abdou of making  “unacceptable” comments, leading to outrage among students and other faculty who said Shafik's remarks were an attempt to discredit those refusing to stay quiet on Palestine.

Shafik also divulged in front of the House Committee on education and the workforce that Massad and Franke were under investigation for making “discriminatory remarks” and said that Dr Abdou “will never work at Columbia again".

Another user on X wished Shafik "good riddance".

Founder of the National Iranian American Council Trita Parsi summarised Shafik's legacy as having "neither stood up for academic freedom, the professors at Columbia, nor the right of its students to protest".

Seamless transition

In her resignation letter, Shafik announced that in her next position, she will be reviewing the UK government’s approach to international development at the UK's Foreign Office. 

"I am very pleased and appreciative that this will afford me the opportunity to return to work on fighting global poverty and promoting sustainable development," she wrote. 

In several posts, users criticised the ease with which a person in power could transition between positions - and in Shafik's case, land high-paying jobs - without being held accountable for past actions.

"Sadly nothing will happen to her" and "The Power Elite will never fail", another user wrote on X. 

Several voices have emerged, questioning Shafik's aptness for the new role and criticising UK's Foreign Secretary David Lammy for offering her the position.

UK Labour MP Zahra Sultana posted on X, saying that "Shafik should play absolutely no role in government", and actress Jennifer Marshall, appealing to Lammy, asked: "Are you sure that's who we want advising us on international development???"

Some users have been more reluctant to celebrate her resignation, arguing that her replacement will be even "more hardline". 

Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.