Barnard College ripped for inviting ‘antisemite’ — who compared Israel to Nazi Third Reich — to speak on campus

Barnard College is being called retired for inviting a United Nations charismatic who has likened Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler and Israel arsenic nan Nazi “Third Reich” to speak astatine nan elite Manhattan schoolhouse this week.

A pro-Israel UN watchdog group is urging nan Columbia University-affiliated Morningside Heights assemblage to cancel nan Wednesday arena featuring Francesca Albanese, nan arguable typical rapporteur connected nan occupied Palestinian territories, who’s been accused of spewing antisemitism.

A persistent professional of nan Jewish state, Albanese has been accused of excusing Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 onslaught connected Israel.

She has accused Israel of committing “genocide” successful Gaza. She besides erstwhile claimed nan US was controlled by the “Jewish lobby” and has dispersed different antisemitic tropes, critics said.

“This is precisely nan benignant of inflammatory rhetoric that has led to allegations of Columbia fostering an egregiously antisemitic dispute acquisition environment, and to allegations of nan harassment, threats, and intimidation against Jewish and Israeli students, successful usurpation of Title VI of nan Civil Rights Act of 1964, and nether nan Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871,” UN Watch executive head Hillel Neuer said successful a missive sent Monday to Barnard College president Laura Rosenbury and Columbia Katrina Armstrong.

The arena is hosted by Barnard’s departments of quality rights, economics and anthropology.

UN Watch, the Anti-Defamation League and others blasted Albanese — who was appointed nan UN Special Rapporteur connected nan occupied Palestinian territories successful May 2022 — for likening Israel’s consequence successful Gaza to nan Holocaust, calling it a “concentration campy of nan 21st Century.”

In February, successful consequence to French President Emmanuel Macron referring to nan Oct. 7 massacre arsenic “the largest antisemitic massacre of our century,” Albanese tweeted: “The top antisemitic massacre of our century? No, @EmmanuelMacron.

“The victims of 7/10 were not killed because of their Judaism but successful consequence to Israel’s oppression,” she wrote.

The governments of France and Germany subsequently condemned Albanese for disapproval of Israel and excusing “antisemitism.”

US Ambassador to nan UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield successful July said, “it is clear [Albanese] is not fresh for this aliases immoderate position astatine nan UN. There is nary spot for antisemitism from UN- affiliated officials tasked pinch promoting quality rights.”

Following a November 2022 Hamas-sponsored arena successful Gaza, Albanese said of nan violent designated group, “you person nan correct to defy this occupation.”

She tried to excuse Hamas’ Oct. 7 onslaught connected Israel, and nan panic group sidesplitting 1,200 group and taking hostages, saying, “Today’s unit must beryllium put successful context.”

In nan letter, UN Watch’s Neuer noted that Columbia has been roundly criticized for “enabling” hundreds of students, module and others to group up an encampment occupying nan Ivy League university’s South Lawn for weeks past spring, wherever “the harassment and maltreatment of Jewish and Israeli students only intensified, filled pinch calls for a world Intifada—the worldwide execution of Jews—and different antisemitic slogans and chants.”

“By inviting Francesca Albanese, an internationally condemned antisemite and protagonist of Hamas terrorism, Columbia will beryllium subjecting itself to further claims for violations of Title VI of nan Civil Rights Act of 1964, New York Human Rights Law and New York City Human Rights Law, and nan Ku Klux Klan Acts,” Neuer told nan Barnard and Columbia presidents.

“Accordingly, we impulse you to instantly rescind Columbia’s invitation to internationally condemned antisemite and coercion protagonist Francesca Albanese.”

Albanese, who is besides a “scholar” astatine Georgetown University, did not respond to an email for comment.

A Barnard spokesperson defended nan invitation to Albanese.

“Barnard’s acquisition ngo depends connected nan exploration of challenging ideas. The College has agelong permitted world departments to big discussions and debates connected difficult topics pinch speakers who correspond a wide scope of perspectives and backgrounds,” nan spokesperson said.

“This believe does not represent organization endorsement of immoderate outer speaker aliases nan viewpoints they express. All speakers, for illustration each members of our community, are expected to comply pinch our argumentation connected nondiscrimination,” nan Barnard rep added.

Barnard is simply a backstage women’s assemblage that is affiliated pinch Columbia. Barnard students tin return courses astatine Columbia.