Colombia professor faces firing after pro-Israel social media pile-on

A tenured professor at New York’s Columbia University faces firing after a pro-Israel online campaign criticizing comments the academic made on behalf of pro-Palestine demonstrators at the Ivy League school.

“There’s a very good chance that they will fire me,” said law professor Katherine Franke after being subjected to questioning she characterized as hostile as a part of Columbia’s investigation into the incident.

The controversy stems from an interview Franke granted to Democracy Now! on January 25. The professor sharply criticized Columbia’s response to an incident in which pro-Palestine protesters were sprayed with an unknown chemical substance by two alleged veterans of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

“It’s something that many of us were concerned about because so many of those Israeli students who then come to the Columbia campus are coming right out of their military service. And they’ve been known to harass Palestinian and other students on our campus, and it’s something the university has not taken seriously in the past.”

The comment was subsequently mischaracterized by pro-Israel accounts on social media, who alleged that Franke advocated banning Israeli citizens from the Columbia campus. The following month Franke was informed a complaint had been lodged against her by two Columbia law professors for “discrimination.”

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Trump shooting complicates matters for struggling Biden campaign

Two weeks after his shaky performance during a televised debate raised serious questions about his age and mental acuity, yesterday’s assassination attempt on Donald Trump has complicated President Joe Biden’s plans to relaunch his campaign taking a harder line against his Republican opponent.

“The big issue is how to campaign against him or attack him,” said one Democratic Party strategist. “Can we even do that this week?”

Complicating matters further, the Republican National Convention is set to start Monday in Wisconsin, where Trump will likely be greeted to a hero’s welcome by throngs of adoring supporters. Advisors have reportedly been formulating Democratic messaging in response to the event for “some time.” Those talking points and attack lines are now under reconsideration as renewed focus is brought to the level of political polarization in the United States.

Recent polling suggests a broad lack of trust in the United States’ electoral system amid a wider institutional crisis in the country. One poll conducted last year showed about a third of Trump supporters agree with the statement that “democracy is no longer a viable system” and “America should explore alternative forms of government to ensure stability and progress.” Almost a quarter of President Biden’s supporters endorsed the statement.

Another survey showed only half of Americans “have faith in democracy” while a poll in 2022 revealed 44 percent believe the country is headed toward a second civil war.

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