The largest anti-Israel student group at Columbia University, known for staging last year’s on-campus protest against the Gaza conflict, recently made headlines with a controversial post. Following the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei by the US and Israel, the group, Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), expressed its discontent by sharing the phrase “death to America” in Persian on social media.

The phrase, “Marg bar Amrika,” was popularized by the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini, and has long been a slogan of dissent against American policies. CUAD’s post, however, did not last long on the platform X, as it was promptly removed.

Despite the removal, CUAD reaffirmed their stance through another post, stating, “X forced us to delete our ‘marg bar amrika’ tweet in order to gain back access to our account but the sentiment still stands.” It is worth noting that although CUAD is active on campus, the group is not officially recognized by Columbia University.

The post was removed by X, but the organization, which is not recognized by the Ivy League school, doubled down.

“X forced us to delete our “marg bar amrika” tweet in order to gain back access to our account but the sentiment still stands,” CUAD wrote.