Israel-Hamas war: 'Fart spray' ? Columbia University pays $400,000 settlement to Jewish student. Here's why

A campus anti-Semitism report, released on Thursday (Oct 31), hasrevealed that Columbia University paid nearly $400,000 in settlement to a Jewish student suspended for spraying a "fart spray" at an anti-Israel protest. The settlement is part of a broader examination by the US House Committee on Education and the Workforce, which has scrutinised campus responses to incidents following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack.

A 'chemical attack'?

The Columbia incident involved an anti-Israel activist claiming that the spraying incident was a "chemical attack" with "skunk spray," a substance used by Israeli Border Police to disperse protests. The protestors, as per the Times of Israel, also claimed that the alleged attackers were IDF veterans and that they suffered adverse health effects from the spray. This claim led to significant media attention and campus tension.

The student suspended after the incident sued Columbia in April claiming they were, in the words of the report, "excessively and disproportionately disciplined."

Columbia, as per the House report, also failed to acknowledge that the sprayed substance was merely a novelty "fart spray," not a harmful chemical agent even after seeing receipts for the spray's purchase from Amazon.

A novelty item

The settlement details and corrective actions were part of the findings in the committee's 300-page report on campus anti-Semitism. It, as per the report, requires the university to put out a statement acknowledging that the substance was "a non-toxic, legal, novelty item that can be purchased online and in stores," and not a "biochemical weapon" or "illicit substance."

Columbia released a statement to that effect on Friday (Nov 1) evening before the Labour Day weekend.

The University's handling of the case, including its later public clarification and subsequent policy reviews, was highlighted as part of a call for consistent, fair campus policies on discrimination and harassment.

"While this conduct was inappropriate and a violation of University rules meriting discipline, it was also clearly a far less serious incident than characterised by anti-Israel activists or to the public," it said.

(With inputs from agencies)