Shai Davidai, an assistant professor at Columbia Business School, called on his supporters to sit in with him at “Columbia’s declared ‘Liberation Zone’”—referring to the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment”—on Monday but was denied access to the Morningside campus after his Columbia University ID was deactivated.

Davidai—who is currently under investigation at Columbia following reports of harassing students—sent an email to University administrators, including University President Minouche Shafik, Vice President Gerald Rosberg, and Chief Operating Officer Cas Holloway, at 8:50 a.m. on Sunday. He requested New York Police Department escorts to help him enter the encampment, according to a screenshot of the email he posted on X.

“Since the events of last night have shown that you have completely failed to protect the safety of your Jewish and Israeli students, I am requesting approval to have a police escort of at least 10 cops with me,” Davidai wrote in the email, referring to reports of antisemitic incidents. “I would ask for escort from the school’s Public Safety, but they have proven themselves useless versus these mobs, and I do not want to put their lives at risk.”

Holloway responded to Davidai’s email before the planned appearance, writing that he must hold his protest in a counterprotest area, in a tweet posted by Davidai at 7:49 a.m. In response, Davidai wrote in an email to Holloway, also posted to X, that he still planned to go to the “illegal encampment” on Monday. In a second response, Holloway restated the requirement for Davidai’s event to be held in a designated area.

“To maintain the safety and security It is our standard operating procedure at any protest to establish a counterprotest area, which is where you will be required to hold your event (on the Math Lawn),” Holloway wrote in an email sent at 8:34 a.m. obtained by Spectator. “To maintain the safety of the Columbia community, you are not permitted to enter the West Lawn.”

In anticipation of Davidai’s entry, students in the encampment stationed individuals in neon vests, mostly faculty who had received de-escalation training, around the encampment’s perimeter. Behind them, protesters within the encampment lined up to block the entrance of the encampment. At around 9:44 a.m., protesters within the encampment closed access to the west side of South Lawn.

At around 9:50 a.m., after he had spoken for around 20 minutes on 116th Street and Broadway, Davidai led the rally to the Earl Hall gates, where he attempted to scan his CUID to enter campus. Holloway stood at the gates with Gerald Lewis, director of Public Safety, while Davidai tried to enter. When Davidai’s CUID failed to scan, protesters began to chant “let him in,” and Davidai climbed on top of the table where the ID scanners were located.

“Over here, we’ve got the COO of Columbia University, Mr. Cas Holloway,” Davidai said, addressing demonstrators from his position on top of the table. “They have deactivated my card, they are not letting me on campus … I have not just a civil right as a Jewish person to be on campus, I have a right as a professor employed by the University to be on campus.”

A New York Police Department officer then approached Davidai and asked him to move back to the barricaded demonstration area. Davidai asked the crowd to move back, saying that the rally was “cooperating with the NYPD.”

Before moving from the gate, Davidai asked Holloway if he would be allowed access to the Business School, located at Columbia’s Manhattanville campus on 125th Street, to teach the next day, to which Holloway said yes. In response, Davidai said, “I can teach but I can’t go on campus?”

As Davidai moved from the gate, Holloway responded to reporters and demonstrators asking why Davidai’s CUID was deactivated. Holloway said that Davidai was “informed that he had a place to go, and he did not go to that space,” adding that it was “not safe” for Davidai to enter campus.

Davidai encouraged those who had a CUID to enter campus and walk on to the encampment. Amy Werman, a professor at the School of Social Work, entered campus with Harriet Jackson, a staff member at Teacher’s College.

“We were supposed to go onto the campus very peacefully, this is all about doing things peacefully,” Wurman said. “And just let our presence be known on the main campus, so that it’s understood that this is an institution of learning for all people, whether you’re Jewish, Muslim, LGBT, whatever your identification is, that this is supposed to be an institution for all.”

Heshy Tischler, a podcaster and candidate for New York City Council, spoke at the rally on 116th Street and Broadway in support of Davidai before he attempted to enter campus. Tischler addressed a Jewish-identifying counterprotester of Davidai’s protest, calling the counterprotester a “filthy animal” and “Kapo pig” before speaking to the rally’s other attendees.

“You think you’re gonna attack us? We are gonna fight back,” Tischler said to the crowd. “I promise you, when I do become councilman, we’re gonna make laws that arrest animals,” Tischler added, gesturing in the direction of the encampment.

Davidai attempted to silence Tischler and then moved the rally away from where he was standing. Davidai reiterated throughout the rally that he is calling for the protection of all students, not just Jewish students.

“We are not fighting just for the Jews. We are fighting for everyone. We are fighting for the rights of African Americans. We are fighting for the rights of Hispanics. We are fighting for the rights of women, and LGBTQ, and the trans community,” Davidai said in his speech. “We are fighting for everyone because it always starts with the Jews and it never ends with the Jews.”

A petition to terminate Davidai’s employment at Columbia has garnered over 8,000 signatures as of Wednesday. In a statement posted to Instagram on April 22, the Columbia chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace condemned Davidai’s actions.

“The disgraceful Shai Davidai publicly called us Judenrat, Kapos, and told us we would be on ‘the last train to auschwitz,” the statement read, referring to statements Davidai made at an April 18 #EndJewHatred rally. “We do not feel safe with this professor still teaching on our campus, having access to the Jewish community spaces we cherish, much less portraying himself as the valiant protector and spokesperson of Jews on campus while insulting our ancestors’ memory. Almost every suspended Jewish student lost family members in the Holocaust.”

Davidai said in an interview with Spectator that he believes in the right to protest, but that he is against protests that are not peaceful.

“I am pro-Palestine. I am pro-Israel. I am anti-terror. Marching for an intifada, marching for the Al-Qassam brigades, cheering on the Houthis and on Iran, that’s not a peaceful protest,” Davidai said. “So this is not about peace. This is about terrorism.”