Students Walk Out Of Hillary Clinton's Class At Columbia University. Here's Why

A group of Columbia University students walked out of a class taught by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in protest at the Ivy League college's alleged role in the "shaming" of pro-Palestine demonstrators. According to The Guardian, around 30 students staged a walkout during a joint lecture held by Ms Clinton and Keren Yarhi-Milo, the dean of Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs. The lecture was part of a course on women's involvement in peace, which Ms Clinton co-teaches with Ms Keren. 

The outlet reported that the walkout followed an incident last week in which photographs of students who signed a declaration blaming Israel for the October 7 Hamas attacks were displayed on video screens on trucks parked near the university campus above the words "Columbia's biggest antisemites". According to the protesters, the pictures were lifted from a "secure and private" student portal at Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs (Sipa).

On Thursday, the walkout was planned and peaceful. Ms Clinton was halfway through her two-hour lecture on women's involvement in peace processes when the students left and joined several dozen other demonstrators in the lobby of the school, as per the New York Post. They were demanding "immediate legal support for affected students" and "a commitment to student safety, well-being and privacy". The statement signed by the students also said that the "weight of responsibility for the war and casualties undeniably lies with the Israeli extremist government."

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The Guardian reported that Ms Keren spoke with the protesting students following the lecture and expressed her support for them. Ms Clinton, on the other hand, left the class through a side door and has not publicly addressed the walkout. 

Notably, the ongoing Israel-Hamas war has set off tensions at some universities, with some students protesting in favour of Palestinians and influential alumni threatening to cut off donations. 

Last week, over 100 professors at Columbia University also expressed support for American students who faced criticism from academics and industry leaders due to their endorsement of Hamas' actions in Israel on October 7. The professors signed a letter defending students and called on administrators to protect those students from "disturbing reverberations" on the Manhattan campus.