Columbia University and one of its long-standing law professors, Katherine Franke, have parted ways following an investigation related to her support of pro-Palestinian students.

Columbia Professor Says She Was Pushed to Retire Because of Her Activism

This marks the latest consequence of activism among students and faculty surrounding the Gaza War at a prominent university.

Professor Franke, a tenured academic widely recognized for founding and leading Columbia’s Center for Gender & Sexuality Law, had supported pro-Palestinian students during protests that took place on campus last year.https://wordpress.com/

She was among several faculty members who came under scrutiny after the university received complaints about comments she made regarding Israelis during a radio interview, which led to an investigation into potential antisemitism.

In a statement on Friday, Ms. Franke described her departure as a “termination disguised in more acceptable terms,” explaining that she had agreed to leave because she found the environment at Columbia to be “toxic and hostile.”

A spokesperson for Columbia University, Samantha Slater, stated that the institution is “committed to creating an inclusive community for all,” with policies in place to prevent discrimination and harassment. She confirmed that a complaint had been filed “alleging discriminatory harassment in violation of our policies,” which led to an investigation and a subsequent finding.

The Center for Constitutional Rights, a legal advocacy organization where Ms. Franke had once served on the board, denounced the end of her career at Columbia, calling it a “blatant attack on both academic freedom and the advocacy for Palestinian rights.”

The investigation into Ms. Franke focused on remarks she made on the left-leaning platform Democracy Now! after an incident in January 2024 at Columbia’s Low Library steps. During a protest advocating for the university to divest from Israel, a noxious substance was thrown at pro-Palestinian students. One of the students suspended for their involvement in the incident, and who later sued the university, was revealed to be a former member of the Israeli Defense Forces.

In her Democracy Now! interview, Ms. Franke expressed concern about Israeli students coming to Columbia “directly after their military service,” citing reports that these students had harassed Palestinian and other students on campus.

Two Columbia colleagues filed a complaint, alleging that her comments amounted to harassment of Israeli students. An external law firm hired by the university found in November that her remarks violated the school’s Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action policies, a conclusion Ms. Franke has since appealed.

Additionally, the investigation concluded that Ms. Franke had breached policy by revealing the identity of one of the complainants and reposting a social media comment that made disparaging remarks about him.

During a congressional hearing in April, Columbia’s then-president, Dr. Minouche Shafik, was questioned by Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) about the disciplinary actions taken against Ms. Franke. Stefanik misquoted Franke, alleging she had said that “all Israeli students who served in the IDF are dangerous and shouldn’t be on campus.”

Dr. Shafik responded, stating, “I agree with you that those comments are completely unacceptable and discriminatory.”

Her response, which criticized Ms. Franke and others, was met with strong disapproval from faculty members who felt it was inappropriate and damaged Dr. Shafik’s relationship with the academic community.

A few months later, Dr. Shafik resigned, becoming the third university president to leave her position after appearing before the congressional committee.

In her Friday statement, Ms. Franke condemned Dr. Shafik’s remarks during the hearing as defamatory, claiming that Shafik knew at the time that Rep. Stefanik’s description of her comments was “grossly inaccurate and misleading.” Ms. Franke added that the testimony led to death threats and other forms of harassment.

Following Dr. Shafik’s testimony, Ms. Franke said that colleagues secretly filmed her and shared the videos with right-wing groups. She also alleged that students had enrolled in her classes with the intention of provoking discussions, recording them, and then filing complaints against her.

In her statement, Ms. Franke expressed that she now sees Columbia University as having abandoned its commitment to its core mission. Rather than promoting critical debate, research, and learning, she said, the university had shown a willingness to work with forces undermining academic freedom.