A student at Columbia University is suing the school after they suspended him for allegedly spraying a “toxic chemical” at a protest which he said was just fart spray he bought on Amazon, The Washington Free Beacon reported.
The student, an Israeli citizen who previously served in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) allegedly sprayed the substance at a pro-Palestinian protest in January, according to the lawsuit obtained by the Free Beacon.
The school’s president Minouche Shafik claimed “demonstrators were sprayed with a toxic chemical,” according to the Free Beacon.
Millions of impressions alleging use of a bioweapon. It was “fart spray.” pic.twitter.com/pL6wNNnzLh
— Adam Rubenstein (@RubensteinAdam) April 17, 2024
But the student claimed he actually just sprayed “Liquid Ass,” a $26 gag gift sold on Amazon, according to the lawsuit. He claimed he only sprayed it in the air, and not at any student in particular as Shafik alleged, according to the lawsuit.
His lawsuit reportedly claims his alleged actions were a “harmless expression of speech.” He claims the school’s suspension was unjust and that they “rushed to silence Plaintiff and brand him as a criminal” through “biased misconduct proceedings,” according to the Free Beacon.
BREAKING:
Just filed today in the Southern District of NY, Federal Court- John Doe vs Columbia University
Suspended Jewish student sues @Columbia over fart spray “hate crime.” Or as Prof. Mohamed Abdou refers to it: “a terrorist chemical weapon.”
This so-suggested military… pic.twitter.com/MgK9pc5NMs
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) April 16, 2024
A January article from the Columbia Spectator said “Protesters allegedly sprayed with hazardous chemical at pro-Palestinian rally.”
The student’s lawsuit also claims the university is unfairly punishing him for his affiliation with Israel, saying they viewed him as “guilty from the start.” The lawsuit also says non-Israeli students “were not disciplined in any manner,” despite the fact that the protests were not sanctioned by the university, according to the Free Beacon.
The school did, however, suspend four students involved in the protests, according to the Times of Israel.