Professor Pushed Out by Columbia Joins Exclusive Zeteo Town Hall TODAY
Prem Thakker hosts Ex-Columbia Prof. Katherine Franke in a timely Q&A about free speech and campus crackdowns for Zeteo subscribers.
I’ve been covering student protests and university crackdowns on free speech since Oct 7. I know so much has happened, and it’s hard to keep track of it all. Trust me, we’re at a breaking point. And that’s why I’m hosting a Zeteo Town Hall Q&A TODAY for paid subscribers with former Columbia Professor Katherine Franke, who was pushed out of her job over accusations of antisemitism. You can see the details to join that Town Hall at the bottom of this email.
But for now – why are we at a breaking point?
After Columbia University’s president met with Israel’s education minister in mid-February, Columbia’s Barnard College expelled three students for the first time in over five decades, including one for the sit-in of Hamilton Hall (“Hind’s Hall”). This week, the school again called the NYPD to come on campus and arrest pro-Palestinian students after administrators claimed there was a bomb threat during the students’ sit-in. Students groups say the threat was manufactured by Barnard so it could have an excuse to arrest student protesters. And then on Thursday, the NYPD confirmed the arrests were due to an “unscheduled demonstration.”
Meanwhile in DC, Donald Trump’s new Health and Human Services Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., co-signed a threat to begin reviewing contracts to Columbia due to alleged antisemitism. Trump himself announced that “All Federal Funding will STOP” for any school that allows what he calls “illegal protests” — threatening to expel, imprison, and deport students involved.
And on Wednesday, Congress held its at least 15th congressional hearing on antisemitism since Oct. 7, 2023 (that’s almost one a month). Yet, amid a string of violence against Palestinians and Arabs, Congress has held only one hearing addressing anti-Palestinian or anti-Muslim hate (though that hearing was broadened to address all forms of hate). And even that devolved into Louisiana Republican Sen. John Kennedy baselessly saying the only Muslim witness there supported Hamas and that she "should hide your head in a bag."
Former Columbia Law School professor Katherine Franke is about as familiar with this surreal McCarthyite atmosphere as anyone. Franke was pushed out of her job after being accused of antisemitism for comments that were taken out of context and misquoted entirely by Elise Stefanik during Columbia’s congressional hearing in May. A misquote that was affirmed by university leadership.
There is so much to discuss.
So, join Katherine Franke and me today, Friday March 7 at 4:00pm ET (1:00pm PT, 9:00pm GMT) for a timely conversation about her experience, ongoing campus crackdowns, and the growing debate in the US about free speech and protests in the context of Israel and Palestine. And bring your questions!
Click the link below to register (if you’re a free subscriber, you’ll have upgrade to participate in the Town Hall). Space is limited, and entrance to the Zoom will be first come, first served.