- Isra Hirsi, daughter of progressive Rep. Ilhan Omar, a member of the ‘Squad,’ was suspended from her university for participating in an anti-Israel protest.
- “Those of us in the Gaza Solidarity Camp will not be intimidated,” Hirsi posted.
- It comes as several days of pro-Palestinian protests have shaken campus life at Columbia University, leading to fights and arrests.
- Hirsi is an organizer with Columbia University’s Apartheid Divest, a group that advocates for the university’s divestment from Israel.
The daughter of progressive Rep. Ilhan Omar was suspended from her university after protesting at an anti-Israel demonstration on the Columbia University campus, according to posts on her social media.
Irsa Hirsi, Omar’s daughter, posted that she was one of three students “suspended for standing in solidarity with Palestinians facing genocide.”
His suspension comes as Columbia University has been rocked by pro-Palestinian protests over the past two days, leading to several arrests and fights.
‘[I’m] “As a CU Apartheid Divest @ColumbiaSJP organizer, in my 3 years at @BarnardCollege I have never been reprimanded or received any disciplinary warning,” the Democrat’s daughter posted on X.
“I just received notice that I am one of three students suspended for standing in solidarity with Palestinians facing genocide.”
“I am one of three students suspended for showing solidarity with Palestinians facing genocide,” the Democrat’s daughter posted on X.
Isra Hirsi (second from left) poses with her mother, Rep. Ilhan Omar (center)
“Those of us in the Gaza Solidarity Camp will not be intimidated,” another post by Hirsi said.
‘We will stand firm until our demands are met. Our demands include divestment from companies complicit in genocide, transparency of @Columbia investments, and TOTAL amnesty for all students facing repression.’
Hirsi describes herself as an “angry black girl” in her X-profile bio and was involved in organizing the multi-day protest on the university campus.
In recent days, dozens of students have set up tents and camped on the university’s south lawn, across from its iconic Butler Library.
About 60 tents dotted the grass, some with two large signs reading “liberated zone” and “Gaza solidarity camp.”
In a video from Wednesday, pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli protesters clashed outside the school as one person shouted: ‘We are Hamas!’ while a man wearing an Israeli flag on his back and a yamaka on his head walked past her.
At least five people were arrested this week when a fight broke out at the school.
On Wednesday, Columbia University President Nemat Shafik was accused of harboring a hotbed of anti-Semitism during a congressional hearing into her handling of pro-Palestinian protests on campus.
The Ivy League chief defended “peaceful” protests and students’ right to free speech in the rise of anti-Semitic rhetoric since the start of the Gaza war that led to the resignations of Harvard President Claudine Gay, and Yale President Liz Magill.
But House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik, R.N.Y., accused Columbia leaders of refusing to “enforce their own policies and condemn Jewish hatred on campus, creating a breeding ground for for anti-Semitism and a focus of support for terrorism by radicalized professors and professors. students.’
“Those of us in the Gaza Solidarity Camp will not be intimidated,” said a post by Hirsi.
Self-proclaimed Democratic socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., hugs Hirsi as her mother, Rep. Ilhan Omar, looks on
Earlier on Wednesday, hundreds of Columbia University students held a sit-in on campus in “Gaza solidarity” hours before Shafik was to testify before the House Education and Workforce Committee about comments of rampant anti-Semitism. on campus.
But Shafik insisted that he has worked aggressively to combat anti-Semitism on campus, including holding more than 200 meetings on the issue, holding daily campus security team meetings and working with the NYPD and FBI when hate crimes occur on campus.
He said the “vast majority” of protests on campus have been “peaceful” and said the university is focused on defending free speech but “cannot and should not tolerate abuses in this commitment to harass and discriminate.”
During the hearing, Omar said that the protests on campus were not for or against an ethnic or religious group, “because it has been protesters for and against the war” who have been demonstrating.
“I was horrified to learn that in April Columbia suspended and evicted six students for their participation in the pro-Palestinian panel on campus,” Omar said.
It’s unclear if Omar’s daughter will face the same consequences in college.
Omar’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.