Who was Bassel al-Araj? The Palestinian activist at the centre of Columbia library protest

Masked protesters at Columbia University stormed the school’s main library building Wednesday, distributing flyers and hanging banners honouring Bassel al-Araj . The demonstrators, part of a group reportedly linked to the radical activist network Unity of Fields, renamed the reading room “the Basel Al-Araj Popular University”.

The protesters passed around pamphlets describing al-Araj as a “militant intellectual”, reported The Post. The flyers contained factual errors, including a misspelling of his name.

“Basil was an intellectual, a militant intellectual . In fact, he was so much so to the point where ‘The Militant Intellectual’ is always understood to refer to him specifically,” the booklet read.

Who was Bassel al-Araj?

• Bassel al-Araj was a Palestinian activist and writer known for his involvement in anti-occupation protests .
  
• He often took part in non-violent demonstrations against Israel’s separation wall and settlement expansion, according to Al Jazeera.
  
• In April 2016, the Palestinian authority arrested him and five others on charges of holding unlicensed weapons and allegedly planning attacks on Israeli targets.
  
• During their detention, al-Araj and the others staged a hunger strike, claiming they were tortured. They were released nine days later without formal charges.
  
• After his release, al-Araj went into hiding. Israeli forces tracked him down in Ramallah in March 2017 and killed him during a raid on the house where he was staying. Israel claimed he was part of a terror cell preparing attacks.