One of the students who led Columbia University’s anti-Israel encampment in the spring is suing the Ivy League school for suspending him over hateful video in which he declares, “Zionists don’t deserve to live.”
Khymani James, 21, of Boston was denied due process and fair treatment when suspended — a violation of university policy, according to his Sept. 27 Manhattan Supreme Court filing.
The decision to suspend James from campus in April was made mostly because of media pressure, and he also was unfairly targeted because his is black and pro-Palestine, the court document said.
James’ suspension “inflamed the hatred” toward him on the Morningside Heights campus, the lawsuit added.
The student activist suggested in his suit that university officials “routinely privileges students who support Israel over those who do not, rewarding bad faith behavior and in fact turning a blind eye to violations of the student code by Israel supporters.”
James was actively involved in the anti-Israel encampment protest that took over Columbia starting in early April.
The encampment upended the campus for months and was the first of dozens of similar protests that plagued universities across the country.
James made headlines himself when the Daily Wire outlet resurrected a January video of him being grilled by the university’s Center for Student Success and Intervention over an Instagram post.
“Zionists don’t deserve to live comfortably, let alone Zionists don’t deserve to live,” James filmed himself telling the panel.
“The same way we are very comfortable accepting Nazis don’t deserve to live, fascists don’t deserve to live, racists don’t deserve to live, Zionists, they shouldn’t live in this world,” James said.
“Be grateful that I’m not just going out and murdering Zionists,” he added. “I’ve never hurt anyone in my life, and I hope to keep it that way.”
James had been summoned before the university panel through a letter in December 2023, when he was studying abroad in London, the lawsuit noted.
At that time, he were already allegedly received threatening messages in response to the “anti-war and anti-genocide political beliefs” he shared on his personal Instagram, the filing said.
When a Columbia official pushed back on James’ comments about killing Zionists, the student immediately said he felt “very comfortable, very comfortable, calling for those people to die.”
In the wake of backlash about the footage, Columbia confirmed that James had been “banned” from campus.
The letter notifying him of his suspension cited the incident in which he organized a human chain to block counter-protesters from accessing the lawn where the anti-Israel camp was set up.
His suspension is still in effect, according to James’ lawsuit.
James, who had not posted on social media since late April, returned to X to announce the lawsuit last week.
“This morning, my lawyer and I filed a lawsuit against Columbia University. The discrimination they’ve subjected me (& many others) to, in addition to cowering to billionaire donors and fascist politicians, has been disgusting,” he wrote.
A user replied, “Any updates once whether you think Zionists deserve to die?”
James responded, “any updates on what it’s like to be a loser?”
James is seeking damages from the university, as well as a court declaration acknowledging that his rights were violated.
He is represented by Jonathan Wallace, who defended Mohamed Abdou, a professor who was fired by Columbia after he voiced support for the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.
Wallace did not respond to The Post’s request for a comment. Columbia University also did not immediately return The Post’s request for an update.
