A Jewish Columbia University student is suing the school, alleging he was wrongfully suspended for using “fart spray” at an anti-Israel protest in January.
The student, identified as ‘John Doe’ in court documents, sprayed brands such as ‘Liquid A**’ and ‘Wet Farts’ into the air during the Jan. 19 demonstration on campus, according to the lawsuit.
Members of two campus groups, Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace, said two men sprayed them with a smelly chemical outside Low Library, the New York Post reported.
Members claimed the ‘fart spray’ that ‘stink bombed’ them caused them headaches, nausea and fatigue, according to court records.
A photo of two men at the protest circulated on social media, although it is unclear if they were the ones accused of spraying the smelly chemicals.
It is also unclear whether one of the men in the photo is the plaintiff who was suspended.
A Jewish Columbia University student is suing the school after being suspended for using ‘fart spray’ at an anti-Israel protest after an image of two men (pictured) went viral, although it is not known. has confirmed whether the men in the photo were involved.
Members of two campus groups, Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace, claimed the men sprayed them with a foul-smelling chemical outside Low Library during the Jan. 19 demonstration.
The lawsuit was filed just one day before Columbia University President Nemat Shafik was to testify before the House Education and Workforce Committee about comments of rampant anti-Semitism on campus.
The lawsuit was filed just one day before Columbia University President Nemat Shafik was to testify before the House Education and Workforce Committee about comments of rampant anti-Semitism on campus.
The student who sued the Ivy League university was a member of the Israeli military, Jeff Litchman, the student’s attorney, told the New York Post.
Litchman added that his client was suspended for a year and a half following the alleged incident.
“As a result of Columbia’s flawed and biased investigation and adjudication process, plaintiff was found responsible for disruptive conduct, harassment, and endangerment, and punished with suspension from the University, forever marring his educational record with an inadequate determination of responsibility,” it is stated in the lawsuit. saying.
Students who claimed they were sprayed with the smelly chemicals said the smell resembled “raw sewage” and “dead mouse,” according to the lawsuit.
The students filed reports with campus public safety but refused counseling, medical evaluations and psychological services, according to the lawsuit.
They added that the unidentified men acted “especially aggressive” toward students holding signs reading “Jews for Ceasefire.”
‘[The] “Plaintiff’s actions were a harmless expression to demonstrate discontent with Hamas’s pro-Palestinian message through the use of a gag gift, and nothing more,” the lawsuit says.
After the protest, the university charged the plaintiff with harassment, disruptive conduct and dangerousness, according to the lawsuit.
Pro-Palestinian students participate in a protest in support of Palestinians amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza, at Columbia University in New York City.
The recent lawsuit against Columbia accused the school of breach of contract under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the New York Executive Law, the New York Civil Rights Law, and the Administrative Code of the City of NY.
He also said the plaintiff has received death threats on social media since the incident, causing him to “distancing himself from his loved ones” and forcing him to leave his apartment.
“The students misled plaintiff on social media and also created fake FBI ‘wanted’ posters with plaintiff’s face indicating that he is ‘armed and dangerous,’ creating a hostile environment for plaintiff and creating a serious risk of security if plaintiff were to return to campus.” the lawsuit said.
The university’s student newspaper, Columbia Daily ViewerHe has since contacted 18 students who reportedly experienced the foul odor.
Another 10 students told the outlet that they experienced various symptoms from the ‘fart spray,’ including headaches, nausea and burning eyes.
Three students sought medical attention, while eight of them reported that their personal belongings had been damaged by the spray.
One student, Layla Saliba, told the Columbia Daily Spectator that doctors have since diagnosed her with “exposure to a harmful chemical” that forced her to miss classes “for a few days” due to “severe pain.”
“To date, there has been no medical or physical evidence to support the claims of any of the students who claimed to have been harmed and/or impacted by the spray,” the lawsuit states.
“In fact, the spray is harmless, non-toxic and anyone can buy it on Amazon.”
During Shafik’s hearing on Wednesday, the Ivy League chief defended “peaceful” protests and students’ right to free speech amid the rise in anti-Semitic rhetoric since the start of the Gaza war.
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 anti-Semitism and a focus of support for terrorism by radicalized teachers and students. .’
Rep. Burgess Owens, R-Utah, told Shafik that the experience of Jewish students at Columbia reminds him of the “hatred and intolerance” he experienced in the Deep South of the 1960s, referring to an Ivy professor League that called the October 7 attack ‘impressive.’
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.”
Hundreds of Columbia University students held a sit-in on campus in “solidarity with Gaza” as President Minouche Shafik testified before Congress about anti-Semitism on Wednesday.
Students began setting up tents around 4 a.m., and as of midday, it was unclear who organized the sit-in.
While Shafik testified before Congress, hundreds of students staged a sit-in on campus in “solidarity with Gaza.”
Students began setting up tents around 4 a.m. on Wednesday, and as of midday it was unclear who organized the sit-in, but students from the SJP (Students for Justice for Palestine) and the PSL (Students for Justice for Palestine) were seen. Party for Socialism and Liberation) on the ground. .
The videos showed students on the main campus. It also showed officials handing papers to students and telling them that if they did not leave by noon they would face suspension.
Just 30 minutes after protesters pitched their tents, an NYPD vehicle entered the campus before representatives arrived to ask students to evacuate.
“The presence of tents on the South Lawn is a safety issue and a violation of university policies,” a university spokesperson wrote in a statement.
“We are informing students that they are violating university policies and that for their own safety and the operation of the university they must leave.”
