Sara Russo

Nicholas De Genova, a Columbia University assistant professor of anthropology and Latino studies, shocked students and faculty at a campus anti-war teach-in on March 26 when he expressed his wish that Iraq would defeat the United States and that there would be "a million Mogadishus." This last comment was meant to refer to a 1993 incident in Somalia when 18 U.S. soldiers were killed during a military operation.

De Genova further insulted America's men and women in uniform by declaring that "the only true heroes are those who find ways that help defeat the U.S. military," and accused patriotic citizens of being white supremacists.

While the other faculty members speaking at the teach-in expressed nearly unanimous opposition to the war in Iraq, many quickly acted to distance themselves from De Genova's statements.

Jean Cohen, a professor of political philosophy at Columbia and one of the event's organizers, has emphasized that De Genova was not originally invited to speak at the event, but stepped in at the last minute when one of the other participants was unable to attend. "He and the press have hijacked this teach-in, and I'm very, very angry about it," she told the Columbia Daily Spectator. "It was an utterly irresponsible thing to do. And it's not innocent….this was a planned undermining of this teach-in."

Another event organizer, Eric Foner, called the professor's remarks "idiotic."

Columbia President Lee Bollinger noted in a statement that he usually refrains from commenting on faculty member's utterances, but in this case he felt he could not let De Genova's statements stand unchallenged. "Because of the University's tradition of academic freedom, I normally don't comment about statements made by faculty members. However, this one crosses the line and I really feel the need to say something," wrote Bollinger, "I am especially saddened for the families of those whose lives are at risk."

"Assistant Professor Nicholas De Genova was speaking as an individual at a teach-in," continued Bollinger. "He was exercising his right to free speech. His statement does not in any way represent the views of Columbia University."

Despite Bollinger's efforts to defuse the impact of De Genova's comments, University alumni and donors have launched a campaign of phone calls and e-mails to the school stating that they will withhold all donations unless De Genova is fired. "They'd love for us to fire him, but it's not going to happen," commented Thomas Gray, an administrator in the office of Development and Alumni Relations, to the Spectator. "He's protected under academic free speech."

De Genova now insists that his remarks were taken out of context. "I am quoted as wishing for a million Mogadishus, but with no indication whatsoever of the perspective that framed that remark," he wrote in a letter to the Columbia Daily Spectator, a student paper. "My rejection of U.S. nationalism is an appeal to liberate our own political imaginations such that we might usher in a radically different world in which we will not remain the prisoners of U.S. global domination," he added.

But critics of the professor point out that this is not the first time his remarks have incited controversy. At a pro-Palestinian sit-in held at Columbia last April, De Genova took advantage of an open microphone to comment, "The heritage of the victims of the Holocaust belongs to the Palestinian people. The state of Israel has no legitimate claim to the heritage of the Holocaust. The heritage of the oppressed belongs to the oppressed-not the oppressor."

In this instance, as well, De Genova insisted that his remarks were not put into proper context.

While many students on Columbia's campus expressed their outrage at the professor's remarks, others felt that he had been treated unfairly by the University administration. Approximately two-dozen of De Genova's students staged a silent protest on his behalf. Their key complaint was that the University hadn't arranged for adequate protection for De Genova to attend his classes. "He and his wife are fearing for their lives," one protestor commented, and have received "over one thousand death threats by phone and e-mail" since De Genova aired his controversial views.

On the one-week anniversary of the anti-war teach-in, De Genova's comments helped to incite a demonstration from those who oppose his views. Hundreds of patriotic students wearing yellow ribbons and waving American flags rallied to support the troops in front of Columbia's Low Library. While several of the rally's speakers criticized De Genova's remarks, the demonstration's main focus was on America's soldiers. The names of the soldiers who had been killed or declared missing or imprisoned in Iraq were read aloud while students listened in silence. Columbia College Republicans President Megan Romigh opened the event by leading the Pledge of Allegiance, noting in her address, "We are not here to debate the politics of this war, but rather to celebrate the efforts of our troops."