Arab-Israeli journalist describes attack by anti-Israel agitators outside Columbia University
Arab-Israeli journalist Yoseph Haddad shared how he was attacked at Columbia University by anti-Israel agitators who took over the campus last Thursday.
An Arab-Israeli journalist said anti-Israel agitators assaulted him ahead of a lecture he was supposed to give at Columbia University last Thursday.
Yoseph Haddad, a journalist, Israel Defense Forces veteran and activist who founded the interfaith group Together Vouch for Each Other, said a pro-Israel student group invited him to speak on campus about the coalition of Arabs and Jews in Israel last week, right as anti-Israel protests rocked the college campus.
When he first arrived, he was alarmed to find agitators chanting "intifada" and "from the river to the sea," and confronted the group.
"As an Arab, I know the real meaning of [intifada]. Of course, the direct meaning is, ‘a violent uprising.’ But people do not understand what this ‘violent uprising’ means," Haddad told Fox News Digital.
"Intifada means the moral death of Jews, the moral death of Arabs," he said.
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Pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrate along NYPD police lines outside Columbia University’s campus in New York City on Thursday, April 18, 2024. Multiple students were arrested as officers cleared an encampment on the campus’ lawn. (Peter Gerber for Fox News Digital)
The Israeli journalist said he asked the group how they could "literally support terrorism" before they turned their hostilities toward him. Haddad said they began hurling death threats and antisemitic slurs at him even though he is not Jewish.
In a video posted to his social media account (Warning: profane language), protesters can be heard repeatedly shouting at Haddad to "Put a bullet in your head," and "Kill yourself!"
The journalist said the agitators formed a circle around him as they shouted these threats.
"They start circling me … You can see that the circle is getting tighter and tighter towards me, and they're shouting at me, ‘Commit suicide,’" Haddad recalled. "They're doing this triangle symbol as a symbol of Hamas targeting Israelis that they killed. They shouting at me, even antisemitic shouts while I'm not even a Jew, but just because I support my country, then I may also get the privilege of being called antisemitic [slurs]."
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Israeli journalist Yoseph Haddad points to mouth after being attacked by anti-Israel protester.
"So one point, they just close the circle. Someone from behind me says, ‘Why are you coming close to me?’ while he's the one who's coming close to me, and just shoved me as hard as he could," Haddad continued. "You can see on the video that I'm absolutely surprised by that violent shove. The second I turn, I move one step forward and I get punched in the face, like a big punch. In the video, you can see clearly that I'm unbalanced. So I'm trying to balance myself. The second I balanced myself, I went to the NYPD, who was just a few meters away from me."
In the video, a man with his face and head covered approaches Haddad as his back is turned before shoving the journalist to the ground. Haddad stands up and appears to get punched before fleeing the scene.
The journalist explained that his attacker's face was initially uncovered. He said he captured it on video and was able to identify the attacker for police later that day.
Despite this, Haddad's legal counsel said they've been left in the dark about any updates to his case.
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NYPD officers patrol as pro-Palestine protesters demonstrate outside of Columbia University’s campus in New York City on Thursday, April 18, 2024. Multiple students were arrested as officers cleared an encampment on the campus’ lawn. (Peter Gerber for Fox News Digital)
His lawyer, Gerard Filitti of The Lawfare Project, said they're "looking for justice" for Haddad so that these agitators are not emboldened to continue attacking Jews and Israel supporters. He called on law enforcement to "step up" and clear the agitators off the streets.
The New York City Police Department told Fox News Digital an assault report was filed after the incident and that the investigation remains ongoing.
"There is a report on file for assault, within the confines of the 26 Precinct. A 38-year-old male reported to police that on Thursday, April 18, 2024, at approximately 1712 hours, he was pushed and punched in the face by an unknown individual in the vicinity of Claremont Avenue and West 116 Street. The victim suffered a laceration on his lip and refused medical treatment. There are no arrests and the investigation remains ongoing," an NYPD spokesperson said.
NYPD also told reporters Monday that Columbia "does not want NYPD present on campus," despite an anti-Israel encampment featuring antisemitic and pro-terror chants, sparking serious security concerns for Jewish students at the start of Passover.
Haddad's lawyer also blamed Columbia leadership for failing to control the protests and letting the violence create a safety crisis.
"This attack may well not have happened if Columbia had properly dealt with the increasing and escalating violence on campus," Filitti told Fox News Digital. "Columbia has failed to assure safety not just of Jewish students, but of all students on this campus and people in the surrounding community."
Anti-Israel agitators constructed an encampment on Columbia University’s campus in New York City on Monday, April 22, 2024. The university announced that all classes would be held virtually Monday in response to the ongoing demonstrations on campus. (Peter Gerber)
Haddad, who has previously given lectures at other universities, said antisemitism has absolutely increased on college campuses since the Oct. 7 terror attacks.
"It's 100% escalated. I mean, you don't need to be an expert to realize what's going on on the campuses," he said. Haddad said he believes freedom of speech only goes in one direction and that those who disagree with his views use intimidation and violence to stop opponents from sharing their perspective.
"That's how it works. And this is the sad reality," Haddad said, arguing that it has made Jewish students on campuses everywhere fearful.
"You can feel it everywhere. I mean, if I go around campuses and I see students afraid, absolutely afraid to show their identity, even though they don't even care or talk about Israel," he said, "they're just Jews. They are afraid."
Columbia President Minouche Shafik released a statement Monday condemning protesters' "antisemitic language" and the "intimidating and harassing behavior on our campus."
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Anti-Israel agitators constructed an encampment on Columbia University’s campus in New York City on Monday, April 22, 2024. The university announced that all classes would be held virtually Monday in response to the ongoing demonstrations on campus. (Peter Gerber)
The hostilities against Jewish students compelled the university president to cancel in-person classes on Monday out of concern for students' safety.
"I am deeply saddened by what is happening on our campus," Shafik wrote. "Our bonds as a community have been severely tested in ways that will take a great deal of time and effort to reaffirm. Students across an array of communities have conveyed fears for their safety and we have announced additional actions we are taking to address security concerns. The decibel of our disagreements has only increased in recent days. These tensions have been exploited and amplified by individuals who are not affiliated with Columbia who have come to campus to pursue their own agendas."
Columbia did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Filitti said federal law enforcement may be needed to step in to address the "escalating crisis" of surging antisemitism in New York City.
The White House has condemned the ongoing protests "in the strongest terms," saying they have no place anywhere in the U.S.
"While every American has the right to peaceful protest, calls for violence and physical intimidation targeting Jewish students and the Jewish community are blatantly antisemitic, unconscionable and dangerous – they have absolutely no place on any college campus or anywhere in the United States of America," White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said on Sunday. "And echoing the rhetoric of terrorist organizations, especially in the wake of the worst massacre committed against the Jewish people since the Holocaust, is despicable. We condemn these statements in the strongest terms."
Fox News' Greg Wehner, Lawrence Richard and Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.