Zohran Mamdani used a Brooklyn College town hall hosted by Sen. Bernie Sanders on Saturday night to criticize the City University of New York for disciplining faculty members who support Palestinian rights, saying that "no faculty member should be disciplined for supporting Palestinian human rights." Mamdani, a socialist candidate for New York City mayor who was introduced by Sanders as his "special guest," spoke to a large crowd that responded with cheers and chants of "Free! Free Palestine!," according to attendees.
At least four adjunct professors at Brooklyn College say they were fired in June after engaging in pro-Palestine advocacy; Mamdani and others at the event framed those terminations as punitive actions against political speech. Supporters at the town hall, described by event organizers as nearly 1,800 people, applauded the remarks and the broader message of the "Fight Oligarchy" event hosted on the campus.
Speakers and attendees presented the matter as a free-speech and academic-freedom issue. Critics, however, say the lecturers face separate allegations that their conduct or statements have enabled antisemitism on a campus that includes a sizable Jewish student population. Those criticisms were raised by some observers both during and after the town hall.
Bernie Sanders, who organized the event, invited Mamdani to speak as part of a broader program that included discussion of economic inequality and the influence of wealth in politics. Mamdani focused his remarks on the disciplinary actions involving the adjuncts and on what he described as double standards for faculty who criticize Israel.
Organizers said the town hall drew a predominantly left-leaning audience and that the pro-Palestine chants reflected deep concern among segments of the campus community and its allies. The event underscored ongoing tensions on college campuses over the boundaries of political expression, institutional discipline and allegations of bias or harassment connected to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Representatives for the adjunct professors have said the staffers were dismissed in June for political reasons rather than job performance; the professors have characterized the actions as retaliation for their advocacy. Critics and some community members, meanwhile, have pointed to separate complaints about antisemitic remarks or conduct and called for the university to enforce policies that protect students and staff from harassment.
CUNY officials did not provide a comment at the town hall, and the public record on the individual disciplinary actions remains limited in the event accounts. The Brooklyn College appearance by Mamdani and Sanders is likely to draw renewed attention to the dispute, adding to broader public debate over how public universities handle politically charged speech and allegations of discrimination.
The town hall marks the latest public flashpoint in discussions about campus governance and free expression, with elected officials, administrators, faculty and students continuing to weigh competing concerns about academic freedom, safety and civil discourse.