Anti‑Israel zines line the shelves of Barnard College’s Milstein Library, shocking students and sparking fierce debate over campus tolerance. The library’s catalog now lists roughly a dozen pamphlets, or “zines,” tied to Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) and other radical groups—a troubling addition, the Washington Free Beacon reports .
CUAD, notorious for storming Milstein in March, distributed Hamas propaganda during that takeover. The newly cataloged zines include one urging CUAD-supporters to defund Barnard’s safety office and quoting from George Habash, founder of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a prescribed terror organization. Another, styled like a scrapbook, condemned Barnard President Rosenbury and labeled her inauguration “genocide”. The table dedicated to one zine even carried a Barbie Band‑Aid and a teddy bear draped in a keffiyeh.
Barnard asserts that it offers these materials in the name of intellectual freedom. A spokesperson said the zine collection “exists to support intellectual curiosity, creativity, scholarship, and teaching,” and that the college does not endorse specific zines. However, critics note that Barnard houses no pro‑Israel zines despite the raft of anti‑Israel ones.
Critics point to a glaring absence of balanced perspectives, especially in light of the record surge in campus antisemitism—over 10,000 incidents reported after Oct. 7, according to the ADL. The college’s selective cataloging appears to amplify one side while neglecting Jewish students’ concerns.
Previously, CUAD activists stormed Milstein Library and posted wanted posters of administrators while distributing Hamas leaflets. They also created a “liberated zone,” forcing a bomb‑threat evacuation. Nine people were arrested.
This latest revelation compounds earlier incidents—like cement dumped into sewage lines, a class raid on a history lecture, and multiple violent takeovers. Yet authorities have rarely imposed serious campus consequences.
Opponents argue Barnard’s reliance on radical pamphlets and refusal to include counter viewpoints suggests institutional bias. They warn that such unchecked material risks normalizing extremist ideology under the cover of academic freedom.
