Catherine Elias, a 26-year-old master’s student at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, has been a prominent organizer behind events and actions that have amplified antisemitic rhetoric and supported extremist ideologies. Elias played a significant role in the pro-Hamas encampment at Columbia in April 2024, where she served as the Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) security and safety lead. She was arrested during the encampment alongside approximately 20 other protesters.
Catherine Elias’s Extremist Ideals
Elias has been deeply involved in CUAD’s organizing efforts, including “Resistance 101,” a March 2024 event hosted at Barnard College that featured speakers from the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoners Network. Samidoun is affiliated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a designated terrorist organization. Her continued engagement with such groups and events underscores her role in promoting extremism and fostering a hostile environment for Jewish students and community members.
Elias’s activism extends beyond Columbia. She has worked as the International Coordinator for Israeli Apartheid Week for the BDS Movement, served as Deputy Director for a Palestinian mutual aid organization in the West Bank, and co-chaired national initiatives supporting anti-Israel activities. Her leadership roles and rhetoric, which normalize and glorify extremist ideologies, have contributed to divisive and dangerous narratives within academic spaces.
Highlighting Her Activity:
- Key Organizer at Columbia: Played a significant role in the pro-Hamas encampment at Columbia University, serving as CUAD’s security and safety lead.
- Promotion of Extremism: Organized events featuring Samidoun, an organization affiliated with the PFLP, a designated terrorist group.
- Leadership in BDS Initiatives: Actively engaged in national and international campaigns promoting divestment from Israel and anti-Israel narratives.
- Broader Activism: Held leadership roles in Palestinian mutual aid organizations and solidarity groups, amplifying antisemitic rhetoric and extremist ideologies.
