Columbia University student Khymani James is standing by comments he made in the spring fantasizing about "murdering Zionists" and saying "Zionists don't deserve to live." He said in a string of Tuesday social media posts that he "never wrote" an April apology he issued over the remarks, which got him suspended and attracted international media attention, adding, "Anything I said, I meant it."
James shared a letter from Columbia University Apartheid Divest, the student group behind the illegal encampment that plagued campus at the time of his infamous remarks, to his X followers on Tuesday afternoon. The group apologized for its past treatment of James, saying a "so-called 'apology'" it released on his behalf in April caused him"irrevocable harm" and exposed him "to even more hatred from white supremacist and queerphobic liberals and fascists." The letter also endorsed "liberation by any means necessary, including armed resistance" and said "violence is the only path forward."
James responded by thanking his "comrades" for their "beautiful, powerful" words. He said he "couldn't agree more" with the endorsement of violence.
"I never wrote the neo-liberal apology posted in late April, and I'm glad we've set the record straight once and for all. I will not allow anyone to shame me for my politics," he wrote. "Anything I said, I meant it."
"Long live Palestine, the Intifada, and the Resistance."
When video of James's remarks surfaced in April—James argued that Columbia officials should be "grateful that I'm not just going out there and murdering Zionists"—Columbia University Apartheid Divest posted a brief, now-deleted statement to social media saying his words "do not reflect our values, nor the encampment's community agreements." The group apologized for doing so in its Tuesday letter, which it published to Telegram, writing that the move played into "the media and the public's neo-liberal co-optation of our encampments and our movement for Palestinian liberation."
"By issuing a so-called 'apology,' CUAD exposed Khymani to even more hatred from white supremacist and queerphobic liberals and fascists, along with the neo-liberal media," the group wrote. "And for that, we sincerely apologize and will continue working towards holding ourselves accountable by keeping true to our political lines, learning in public, refusing to treat one another as disposable, and not bending to neo-liberal media."
"We support liberation by any means necessary, including armed resistance," the letter continues. "When you fight back against state violence, you're criminalized and isolated, as Khymani was." The letter also lauds "decolonial thinkers and revolutionaries like Frantz Fanon and Fidel Castro," arguing that "violence is the only path forward."
Columbia spokesman Ben Chang said calls for violence "are antithetical to the core principles upon which this institution was founded" and "have no place at Columbia or any university." He declined to comment on whether such calls violate university policy.
Though James largely retreated from social media after his violent remarks made international headlines—and got him suspended from Columbia—he reemerged after filing a lawsuit late last month that accuses Columbia of using "anti-Palestinian bias" to discriminate against him in favor of "Zionist Jewish" students.
The suit corresponded with social media posts from James flaunting a recent jet ski excursion in Puerto Rico. In his complaint, James argues he would be "homeless" without his Columbia housing.
James's suit has already revealed unflattering information about school administrators. The complaint, for example, said an unnamed "associate dean" called James as his remarks went viral in late April to express "concern about his safety." Columbia then bought James a train ticket home to Boston one day before informing him of his "immediate interim suspension," according to the suit. That suspension remains active.
James served as a leader of the unlawful tent encampment that disrupted university life at the close of the last academic year, briefly serving as a spokesman for Columbia University Apartheid Divest. At one point, he mobilized participants to remove "Zionists" who he said entered the encampment.
"Repeat after me! We have Zionists! Who have entered the camp!" James chanted. He led students in forming a "human chain" to slowly push the "Zionists" out of the area.
'We have Zionists who have entered the camp" — Columbia students eject Jews from the quad pic.twitter.com/rdNjbR5zxx
— Luke Tress (@luketress) April 22, 2024
The group has since rang in the new school year by spearheading pro-terror protests, including an Oct. 7 "Students Flood NYC for Gaza" walk out demonstration. Participants first congregated on campus, surrounding their pro-Israel counterparts and shouting "resistance is justified." They later joined in with a larger protest organized by Within Our Lifetime, the anti-Semitic group led by Nerdeen Kiswani, who visited Columbia's campus in March to participate in the now-infamous "Palestinian Resistance 101" event.
Columbia University Apartheid Divest has made clear that its endorsement of "armed resistance" applies to Israeli civilians. Last week, the group lauded the Oct. 1 Tel Aviv terror attack that killed seven, including a mother who died while shielding her 9-month-old-baby.
"On October 1, in a significant act of resistance, a shooting took place in Tel Aviv, targeting Israeli security forces and settlers," the group wrote.
"This bold attack comes amid the ongoing escalation of violence in the region and highlights the growing resolve of those resisting Israeli occupation. The shooting serves as a reminder that the struggle is not confined to Gaza or Lebanon but has now reached deep into the heart of settler-colonial territory, further destabilizing the Zionist regime’s claims to security and control."
Update 8:40 p.m.: This piece has been updated with additional information.