Columbia University has barred Shai Davidai, an assistant professor, from campus following accusations of harassment. On Tuesday, the university banned him, citing a history of intimidating staff members. Israeli citizen Davidai has denounced pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus, calling them antisemitic. Davidai is an outspoken advocate for Israel. He has organized counterprotests in the past and often accuses pro-Palestinian organizations on social media of aiding terrorism.
⚡️BREAKING: Shai Davidai, the business professor who is known solely for obsessively harassing Ivy League students, spreading so much zionist propaganda and hate, is now reportedly BANNED from Columbia’s campus for harassment. [Video of his expected reaction] pic.twitter.com/GOcl7U0vje
— Suppressed News. (@SuppressedNws) October 15, 2024
According to university spokesman Ben Chang, Davidai's actions on October 7 prompted the ban. On this day last year, Hamas launched their attack on Israel, which set off the most recent conflict in the area. Chang highlighted that Davidai's particular behavior on campus is the reason for the limitation, even if he stated the institution supports Davidai's right to free expression.
Davidai replied on social media, blaming recent run-ins with university administrators during protests on campus for his suspension. He said that his suspension was planned by the chief operational officer, Cas Holloway. A now-deleted Instagram video of Davidai interacting with university staff was referenced in his post. In a later post, Davidai said he was speaking out for the university's future and denounced what he called the establishment's condonation of terrorism.
Davidai is still paid as a professor and is not allowed to enter the university. Chang stated that in order for Davidai to have access again, he needs to finish a behavior policy training course. He said that in cases where faculty policies are broken, the institution takes instructional and access-restrictive action. Chang emphasized that Davidai's freedom of expression is unaffected, but he also stated that Columbia would not put up with harassment or intimidation of staff members.
With more than 100,000 X (previously Twitter) followers, Davidai has not answered questions from the media directly.