Columbia U. protester who begged for ‘humanitarian aid’ now teaching at university

A pro-Palestinian protester who famously requested “humanitarian aid” for those at the Columbia University encampments is now teaching at the university she once occupied, the New York Post reported on Friday. 

Johannah King-Slutzky, a doctoral student at Columbia, is teaching a compulsory module titled ‘Contemporary Western Civilization,’ according to the Post.

King-Slutzky, acting as a spokesperson for the encampment, had previously said, “Do you want students to die of dehydration and starvation or get severely ill, even if they disagree with you? If the answer is ‘no,’ then you should allow basic … I mean, it’s crazy to say because we’re on an Ivy League campus, but this is, like, basic humanitarian aid we’re asking for… Like, could people please have a glass of water?”

Despite issuing King-Slutzky a teaching role at the university, Columbia had previously threatened to suspend protesters involved in the encampment.

It is unknown if King-Slutzky abandoned the encampment or was among those suspended.

Protests renew at Columbia U.

Ahead of the new school year, pro-Palestinian protests returned to Columbia, Reuters reported. 

Columbia administrators are hoping to avoid a repeat of the protests that roiled the university earlier this year, which culminated with hundreds of armed police officers sweeping the campus in April to arrest more than 30 student protesters who had barricaded themselves inside an academic building.

As faculty and students returned to Columbia before classes resumed, they noticed new restrictions and other changes to its campus.

The hedge-lined south lawns, which had been yellowed by tent encampments, are now lush and green. Public safety officers guard the entrances, and new signs note that camping is banned by school rules.

The campus gates, which have been open for decades to the surrounding city streets, are closed under a new system restricting access. Guards allow in only those with Columbia ID and pre-registered guests.

Over the summer, Columbia administrators continued disciplinary proceedings against more than 60 students accused of breaking campus rules by participating in protests.

Some students say the university is dragging out the investigations to discourage protests. A Columbia spokesperson said the school was "working to expedite" the investigations.