Mohsen Mahdawi, a Columbia University student recently released from ICE detention, defended the ongoing campus protests during a Friday appearance on CNN’s “Laura Coates Live.” Mahdawi claimed the university administration has “pushed students too far” by refusing to meet their demands regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict and called on the school to “divest from war and invest in peace.”
The comments followed the latest escalation in protests, which saw demonstrators seize a university library and led to the arrest of 80 people by NYPD officers. Acting Columbia President Claire Shipman condemned the takeover, stating that “violence and vandalism, hijacking a library—none of that has any place on our campus.”
While Mahdawi stated he personally favors nonviolent methods and does not support the building takeovers, he insisted the broader protest movement has been peaceful and blamed the university for allegedly inciting violence. “I understand when students — when all doors are closed for students, that the university is pushing them further and further,” he said. He also claimed students were “brutalized and sent to hospitals,” describing the situation as “heart-wrenching.”
Mahdawi accused Columbia administrators of having “agency” in the unrest and claimed their refusal to acknowledge what he referred to as “the genocide” has provoked student frustration. The term echoes similar rhetoric used by pro-Palestinian groups accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza — a charge strongly denied by Israeli and U.S. officials.
Columbia University, like many campuses across the country, has faced weeks of disruptions tied to protests over the conflict in the Middle East. Administrators have defended their handling of the situation while also calling for an end to illegal demonstrations and campus disruptions.
