Hillary Clinton criticized pro-Palestinian protests on the Columbia University campus, which she said were heavily influenced by outside funding and groups, calling the protesters’ treatment of Jewish students “unpleasant.”
In an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria on “GPS” Sunday, the former secretary of state and 2016 presidential candidate described how she saw tensions at Columbia — where she co-teaches a course — escalate in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks and Israel’s retaliation in Gaza.
“There were already groups in our country, and particularly on campuses like Columbia, that had talking points,” Clinton said.
“They had a plan for protest and disruption, and I saw it morph into something that was not student-led, even though students were involved, but had outside funding, outside direction.”
Clinton blamed biased social media algorithms and outside influences — though she did not specify which — for the fueling of campus protests.
Clinton said the videos on social media represented a “one-sided” and “pro-Hamas” view of the war, and that many protesters she met did not understand the history of the complex and long-running conflict.
“In trying to talk to students, not just at Columbia but elsewhere, I was met with slogans, attacks and very provocative language,” she added.
A bit of context: Columbia University has become the epicenter of pro-Palestinian student protests over the past academic year, which have rocked universities across the country. Most of the protests have been peaceful, but some have turned violent and disrupted academic life on campus.
Most of the protesters were demanding divestment from companies that support Israel and the war in Gaza and drawing attention to the worsening humanitarian crisis in the enclave. Some Jewish and Muslim students reported being intimidated, harassed or physically attacked by various parties.
