Columbia University Law professor Katherine Franke, a vocal supporter of the Palestinians, said on Friday that she was pushed out of her job because of her political activism.
” I have been targeted for my support of pro-Palestinian protesters– by the president of Columbia University, by several colleagues, by university trustees, and by outside actors. This has included an unjustified finding by the University that my public comments condemning attacks against student protesters violated university non-discrimination policy,” she said in her statement.
Columbia’s law school dean Daniel Abebe said in an e-mail to faculty that Franke was “accelerating her planned retirement” and would be leaving Columbia on Friday after nearly 25 years. The university said it relied on the findings of an inquiry that revealed the Franke had deviated from Columbia’s policy on discrimination and harassment.
“SO many of those Israeli students who then come to the Columbia campus are coming right out of their military service and they have been known to harass Palestinians and other students.” She later added that she had long feared that there could be difficulty for some to transition from the mode of soldier to that of a student and that the university should do more to protect all members of its community.
After her televised comments, members of faculty at Columbia filed complaints against her for offensive statements against Israeli students claiming that she was harassing students on campus over their national origins.
Pro-Palestine riots at Colombia University last year
On the other hand, Franke was said to have directly harmed the Israeli and Jewish students’ sense of security, especially at a time of increased tension on campus.
