Moment Columbia University graduate’s mic cuts out as she goes on anti-Israel commencement rant
A Columbia University student’s speech was briefly interrupted when she attacked the university for its stance on Israel’s war against Hamas terrorists.
Saham David Ahmed Ali was filmed ranting about the school and the attacks on Gaza during her talk at the Mailman School of Public Health on Tuesday.
The audio began to stutter at the beginning of her speech, cutting out briefly as student boos rang through the room.
It comes after Columbia was forced to cancel its graduation commencement as it became a hotbed of activism over the Palestinian war.
Ali, who has since deleted her social media, said she found it “dystopian” to attend classes while “witnessing”.[ing] the genocide of the Palestinian people.”
Saham David Ahmed Ali was filmed ranting about the school and the attacks on Gaza during her talk at the Mailman School of Public Health on Tuesday
The audio started to stutter at the beginning of her speech, cutting out briefly as student boos rang through the room
“The silence on this campus and the pressure to say nothing while the administration and professors claim that ‘we are here for you’ as we actively witness the most televised genocide of our lifetimes has made me lost hope,” she claimed.
“The mass graves outside Al-Shifa Hospital were found while we were sitting in our classrooms learning about…,” she said as her microphone suddenly stopped working.
As the microphone began to cut out, students in the crowd burst into chants, repeatedly shouting, “Let her speak.”
It is unknown whether the audio error was intentional or just a technical issue.
Despite the minor disruption, Ali managed to successfully deliver the rest of her anti-Israel tirade while emphasizing her disapproval of the Ivy League school.
DailyMail.com has contacted Columbia University for comment.
Pictured: A New York police officer patrols Columbia University, the prestigious college at the heart of the US campus protests against the war in Gaza
Despite the schoolwide commencement ceremony being canceled, Columbia students continued to make it a point to express their dissatisfaction with the university during graduation weekend.
In an effort to protest the academic institution and the war between Israel and Hamas, students put on handcuffs, displayed Palestinian flags and tore up diplomas during a graduation ceremony at embattled Columbia University.
Friday’s onset came after weeks of clashes between pro-Palestinian protesters, administrators and law enforcement agencies.
Despite the controversy, some students maintained their fighting spirit. A graduate social worker walked onto the stage with her hands zipped above her head as cheers rang out from the audience.
As a livestream of the event appeared, she turned to the crowd and tore her diploma into pieces.
At Columbia University’s commencement on Friday, a graduate student walked onto the stage with her hands tied above her head
She immediately tore up her diploma after receiving it
Several students put keffiyehs and zip ties or handcuffs on their wrists
Other students waved the Palestinian flag in a show of solidarity with civilians in Gaza
The university announced last Monday that it would cancel its main commencement due to safety concerns. Dozens of smaller ceremonies will be held instead.
The first two ceremonies for the School of Professional Studies went off without a hitch on Friday morning and afternoon.
But the School of Social Work graduation sparked debate as protesters began gathering across the stage at the Baker Athletics Complex.
Several students wore keffiyeh scarves, which have become closely associated with the Palestinian liberation movement.
Two girls waved “Free Palestine” signs as they received their diplomas. Another student carried a flag with the slogan “Divest Now,” a call for the university to withdraw its economic and academic interests from Israel.
Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine posted a clip of the ceremony on Instagram, accompanied by a caption that read, “The students remind us all of Palestine at EVERY GRADUATION.”
Also uploaded to the account was a photo of a student’s graduation cap, which bore the words: “Recognize Gaza’s Class of 2024 and those who will never graduate.”
One student’s graduation cap bore the words: “Recognize Gaza’s Class of 2024 and those who will never graduate.”
Several students were seen waving Palestinian flags. One student carried a flag that read “Divest Now,” a call for the university to withdraw its investments from Israel
NYPD officers arrested dozens of protesters on April 30 and cleared Hamilton Hall after it was seized by students who barricaded themselves inside
Protests continued into Monday during ceremonies in front of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
Some PhD students opted to skip graduation altogether, leaving rows of empty seats. During their commencement later in the day, several master’s students walked onto the stage waving Palestinian flags.
New York City Police Department officers arrested dozens of protesters on April 30 and cleared a building that had been seized a day earlier.
School officials said they called police to campus for the second time in less than two weeks after Hamilton Hall was “vandalized and blocked.”
Students barricaded themselves in the building and hung a banner from a balcony reading “Hind’s Hall,” a reference to six-year-old Hind Rajab, who was shot by Israeli security forces in January.
The NYPD told DailyMail.com that more than 100 protesters were arrested after police stormed the “Gaza Solidarity Camp,” ending a two-day sit-in in mid-April.
Earlier that month, officers arrested more than a hundred protesters, ending a two-day sit-in in the ‘Gaza solidarity camp’.
University President Nemat Shafik has asked the police to remain on campus at least until May 17
President Nemat Shafik has asked officers to remain on campus until May 17 to prevent similar activities.
Just last week, a group of thirteen judges appointed by Donald Trump wrote a letter to Shafik explaining their refusal to hire student protesters as law clerks.
The justices claimed they had “lost confidence in Columbia as an institution of higher education” and deemed the school “a breeding ground for bigotry.”