Johannah King-Slutzky
Johannah King-Slutzky’s Arrest at the Pro-Hamas Encampment at Columbia University (Columbia)
Johannah King-Slutzky was arrested at the pro-Hamas encampment at Columbia in April 2024. King-Slutzky also disrupted a speech by U.S. President Biden in January 2024.
Johannah King-Slutzky is a Columbia instructor and graduate student who was arrested [03:05:49] at the encampment on April 18, 2024 and subsequently suspended.
On April 30, 2024, King-Slutzky spoke at a press conference at the encampment as a member [02:59:50] of anti-Israel Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD). She read [02:45:11] a press release on behalf of [02:50:33] “The People’s University for a Liberated Palestine,” issued by students who had “occupied” Columbia’s Hamilton Hall building.
On April 30, 2024, participants in Columbia’s second pro-Hamas encampment forced their way into the university’s Hamilton Hall, barricading themselves in the building and taking three Columbia custodians hostage. Protesters also vandalized [00:00:55] and destroyed university property inside the hall. A police raid on Hamilton found knives, gas masks, ropes and literature that read: “...DESTROY zionist business interests everywhere!...DEATH TO AMERICA!...”
On April 30, 2024, King-Slutzky spoke at a press conference at the encampment as a member [02:59:50] of anti-Israel Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD). She read [02:45:11] a press release on behalf of [02:50:33] “The People’s University for a Liberated Palestine,” issued by students who had “occupied” Columbia’s Hamilton Hall building.
On April 30, 2024, participants in Columbia’s second pro-Hamas encampment forced their way into the university’s Hamilton Hall, barricading themselves in the building and taking three Columbia custodians hostage. Protesters also vandalized [00:00:55] and destroyed university property inside the hall. A police raid on Hamilton found knives, gas masks, ropes and literature that read: “...DESTROY zionist business interests everywhere!...DEATH TO AMERICA!...”
King-Slutzky said [02:48:41] that if Columbia brought armed police on campus, “students’ blood will be on your hands.” She continued [02:49:01]: “We are grateful to the brave students and community members who put themselves in harm’s way last night to protest Columbia’s complicity. Taking over a building is a very small risk compared to the daily resistance of Palestinians in Gaza.”
Among anti-Israel activists, the term “resistance” is a euphemism for terrorism and is used to glorify and encourage anti-Israel and anti-Semitic violence.
Among anti-Israel activists, the term “resistance” is a euphemism for terrorism and is used to glorify and encourage anti-Israel and anti-Semitic violence.
King-Slutzky also said [02:53:14] the protesters were “acting in solidarity with CUAD’s three demands, for divestment, financial transparency and amnesty…and they’re also asking for a commitment from Columbia for food and water to be brought in.”
When asked why Columbia should be obligated to provide food to people who had taken over a university building, King-Slutzky answered [03:02:02]: “...it’s ultimately a question of what kind of community and obligation Columbia feels it has to its students. Do you want students to die of dehydration and starvation or get severely ill even if they disagree with you…it’s crazy to say…but this is, like, basic humanitarian aid we’re asking for, like, could people please have a glass of water…we’re asking them to not violently stop us from bringing in basic humanitarian aid…”
The encampment was also in support of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
Columbia is located in New York, New York.
Activists protested Israel’s war against Hamas and demanded that Columbia “divest from companies and institutions that profit from Israeli apartheid, genocide and occupation…”
The action had reportedly been planned for months and was organized by the Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) coalition. The encampment was also organized by Columbia’s banned pro-Hamas activist group Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and the university chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP). Activists reportedly received training from National SJP and other anti-Israel organizations.
Among the encampment leaders was Columbia student Khymani James who had said [00:00:25]: “Zionists…They are nazis!... They’re supporters of genocide! Why would we want people who are supporters of genocide to live?... Be glad, be grateful that I am not just going out and murdering Zionists.” Aidan Parisi, another encampment leader, responded to Columbia’s demand to disband the encampment by declaring online that: “COLUMBIA WILL BURN.”
The encampment was forcibly dismantled at the directive of Columbia’s president and administration. The NYPD [New York Police Department] entered the area, cleared the encampment and arrested more than 100 protestors, approximately 80 of whom were Columbia students. The students were charged with trespassing and suspended from Columbia indefinitely.
The next day, activists created a new encampment. When divestment negotiations with Columbia failed, protesters illegally forced their way into the university’s Hamilton Hall on April 30, 2024. They smashed [00:00:55] through a glass-paneled door, broke security cameras, threw university property out of the windows and unfurled [00:00:01] a banner in the building’s wall that read: “INTIFADA,” a term in Arabic for uprising or insurrection that carries the connotation of violence.
While barricading themselves in the building, agitators kept three Columbia custodians hostage and stopped them from leaving. When the NYPD raided and dismantled the encampment a second time, they arrested more than 100 students, nearly half of whom were reportedly not affiliated with Columbia.
NYPD shared on Twitter photos of objects the police found in Hamilton Hall. These included knives, hammers, gas masks, ropes and a pamphlet that read [video 1]: “...DISRUPT/RECLAIM/DESTROY zionist business interests everywhere! DEATH TO ISRAELI REAL STATE! DEATH TO AMERICA!...LONG LIVE THE INTIFADA!”
Just outside the encampment area, Jewish students were called [slide 2]: “Uncultured a** b**ches!” and were told to “Go back to Europe!” Activists also said [slide 3] to them: “Yahoodim [Jews], yahoodi [Jew], f**k you!” and “Stop killing children!” as they walked from campus to their dorm rooms.
Also just outside the encampment area, anti-Israel activists chanted [slide 5]: “Ya Hamas, ya habib, odrob, odrob Tel Aviv! [Oh Hamas, oh loved one, strike, strike Tel Aviv!]”, a chant that celebrates Hamas rocket attacks against Israel.
An activist just outside the encampment area held [photo 4] a sign that said, referring to the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing: “AL-QASAM’S NEXT TARGETS.” Her sign contained an arrow pointing to a pro-Israel crowd.
On May 31, 2024, Columbia SJP announced that its activists had set up a third encampment at the university. At the encampment, protesters reportedly displayed on a big screen a video that portrayed Hamas as a peace-seeking organization and made a sign that contained an inverted red triangle, a symbol in support of Hamas.
The Columbia encampment reportedly inspired a wave of protest encampments across North American campuses, where pro-Israel students were blocked or restricted from campus facilities. Jewish students were reportedly harassed in several other ways.
Protesters harassed Jewish students, blocked Jews from campus facilities and shouted anti-Semitic slogans. They occupied campus grounds, in many cases illegally, caused property damage, violently took over buildings, celebrated terrorism and promoted the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
Activists set up encampments to oppose Israel’s right to wage war against the Hamas terror group following October 7, 2023, when Hamas murdered approximately 1,200 people, including 32 American and 8 Canadian citizens. Hamas also kidnapped 252 people, including 11 Americans and the bodies of 2 murdered Canadians. As of May 26, 2024, 125 hostages remained in Hamas captivity.
The protesters held up [00:07:13] a Palestinian flag on which was written: “UAW Labor for Palestine” and chanted: “Ceasefire now!” They were then removed from the meeting.
As of April 2024, King-Slutzky was a member [02:59:50] of CUAD. As of January 2024, King-Slutzky was an activist with UAW Labor for Palestine, an anti-Israel collective formed in October 2023 whose aim was “to demand an immediate end to Israel’s apartheid regime, occupation, and ongoing genocide in Palestine.”
The group also campaigned for the UAW International Executive Board to pass a BDS resolution. As of September 2024, King-Slutzky’s LinkedIn profile said she had been a union steward of UAW Local 2710, “the union’s chapter for Columbia University student workers,” since 2022.
Also as of September 2024, King-Slutzky was an instructor for a Columbia course titled: “Contemporary Western Civilization,” for the fall 2024 semester.
As of the same date, King-Slutzky’s LinkedIn said she had been an instructor at Columbia since 2019. It also said she had been a freelance digital strategist at “Johannah King-Slutzky Digital,” since 2020.
As of September 2024, King-Slutzky was listed as a PhD student in the Department of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia.
As of the same date, King-Slutzky’s X bio said she was located in New York, New York.
When asked why Columbia should be obligated to provide food to people who had taken over a university building, King-Slutzky answered [03:02:02]: “...it’s ultimately a question of what kind of community and obligation Columbia feels it has to its students. Do you want students to die of dehydration and starvation or get severely ill even if they disagree with you…it’s crazy to say…but this is, like, basic humanitarian aid we’re asking for, like, could people please have a glass of water…we’re asking them to not violently stop us from bringing in basic humanitarian aid…”
The encampment was also in support of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
Columbia is located in New York, New York.
Pro-Hamas Encampment at Columbia University
On April 17, 2024, Columbia students and anti-Israel activists set up a pro-Hamas “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” on the university's main lawn. Many participants were arrested and the encampment featured multiple violent incidents, including taking over a campus building and taking a university worker hostage.Activists protested Israel’s war against Hamas and demanded that Columbia “divest from companies and institutions that profit from Israeli apartheid, genocide and occupation…”
The action had reportedly been planned for months and was organized by the Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) coalition. The encampment was also organized by Columbia’s banned pro-Hamas activist group Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and the university chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP). Activists reportedly received training from National SJP and other anti-Israel organizations.
Among the encampment leaders was Columbia student Khymani James who had said [00:00:25]: “Zionists…They are nazis!... They’re supporters of genocide! Why would we want people who are supporters of genocide to live?... Be glad, be grateful that I am not just going out and murdering Zionists.” Aidan Parisi, another encampment leader, responded to Columbia’s demand to disband the encampment by declaring online that: “COLUMBIA WILL BURN.”
The encampment was forcibly dismantled at the directive of Columbia’s president and administration. The NYPD [New York Police Department] entered the area, cleared the encampment and arrested more than 100 protestors, approximately 80 of whom were Columbia students. The students were charged with trespassing and suspended from Columbia indefinitely.
The next day, activists created a new encampment. When divestment negotiations with Columbia failed, protesters illegally forced their way into the university’s Hamilton Hall on April 30, 2024. They smashed [00:00:55] through a glass-paneled door, broke security cameras, threw university property out of the windows and unfurled [00:00:01] a banner in the building’s wall that read: “INTIFADA,” a term in Arabic for uprising or insurrection that carries the connotation of violence.
While barricading themselves in the building, agitators kept three Columbia custodians hostage and stopped them from leaving. When the NYPD raided and dismantled the encampment a second time, they arrested more than 100 students, nearly half of whom were reportedly not affiliated with Columbia.
NYPD shared on Twitter photos of objects the police found in Hamilton Hall. These included knives, hammers, gas masks, ropes and a pamphlet that read [video 1]: “...DISRUPT/RECLAIM/DESTROY zionist business interests everywhere! DEATH TO ISRAELI REAL STATE! DEATH TO AMERICA!...LONG LIVE THE INTIFADA!”
Just outside the encampment area, Jewish students were called [slide 2]: “Uncultured a** b**ches!” and were told to “Go back to Europe!” Activists also said [slide 3] to them: “Yahoodim [Jews], yahoodi [Jew], f**k you!” and “Stop killing children!” as they walked from campus to their dorm rooms.
Also just outside the encampment area, anti-Israel activists chanted [slide 5]: “Ya Hamas, ya habib, odrob, odrob Tel Aviv! [Oh Hamas, oh loved one, strike, strike Tel Aviv!]”, a chant that celebrates Hamas rocket attacks against Israel.
An activist just outside the encampment area held [photo 4] a sign that said, referring to the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing: “AL-QASAM’S NEXT TARGETS.” Her sign contained an arrow pointing to a pro-Israel crowd.
On May 31, 2024, Columbia SJP announced that its activists had set up a third encampment at the university. At the encampment, protesters reportedly displayed on a big screen a video that portrayed Hamas as a peace-seeking organization and made a sign that contained an inverted red triangle, a symbol in support of Hamas.
The Columbia encampment reportedly inspired a wave of protest encampments across North American campuses, where pro-Israel students were blocked or restricted from campus facilities. Jewish students were reportedly harassed in several other ways.
Background on Pro-Hamas Encampments
The encampment was one of over 140 pro-Hamas and anti-Israel college encampments set up in North America, and over 20 more globally, in the spring of 2024. The first began on April 17, 2024, at Columbia University. The encampments were unofficially known as the “student intifada,” borrowing a term associated with terrorist violence.Protesters harassed Jewish students, blocked Jews from campus facilities and shouted anti-Semitic slogans. They occupied campus grounds, in many cases illegally, caused property damage, violently took over buildings, celebrated terrorism and promoted the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
Activists set up encampments to oppose Israel’s right to wage war against the Hamas terror group following October 7, 2023, when Hamas murdered approximately 1,200 people, including 32 American and 8 Canadian citizens. Hamas also kidnapped 252 people, including 11 Americans and the bodies of 2 murdered Canadians. As of May 26, 2024, 125 hostages remained in Hamas captivity.
For more information on the October 7, 2023 terror attacks, see the Canary Mission page on Hamas.
Johannah King-Slutzky’s Disruption of the U.S. President’s Speech
On January 24, 2024, King-Slutzky participated with members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) Labor for Palestine group in disrupting [00:00:06] U.S. president Joe Biden’s speech at a UAW meeting in which the union endorsed Biden for re-election.The protesters held up [00:07:13] a Palestinian flag on which was written: “UAW Labor for Palestine” and chanted: “Ceasefire now!” They were then removed from the meeting.
Johannah King-Slutzky’s Anti-Israel Activism, Work and Education
Johannah King-Slutzky is a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.As of April 2024, King-Slutzky was a member [02:59:50] of CUAD. As of January 2024, King-Slutzky was an activist with UAW Labor for Palestine, an anti-Israel collective formed in October 2023 whose aim was “to demand an immediate end to Israel’s apartheid regime, occupation, and ongoing genocide in Palestine.”
The group also campaigned for the UAW International Executive Board to pass a BDS resolution. As of September 2024, King-Slutzky’s LinkedIn profile said she had been a union steward of UAW Local 2710, “the union’s chapter for Columbia University student workers,” since 2022.
Also as of September 2024, King-Slutzky was an instructor for a Columbia course titled: “Contemporary Western Civilization,” for the fall 2024 semester.
As of the same date, King-Slutzky’s LinkedIn said she had been an instructor at Columbia since 2019. It also said she had been a freelance digital strategist at “Johannah King-Slutzky Digital,” since 2020.
As of September 2024, King-Slutzky was listed as a PhD student in the Department of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia.
As of the same date, King-Slutzky’s X bio said she was located in New York, New York.
Social Media and Weblinks
X: https://x.com/jjjjjjjjohannah [Protected]Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/jjjohannahhh/
Personal Website:https://demosthenes310.wordpress.com/ [Private]
