Professor and activist Marc Lamont Hill is weighing in on the pro-Palestine protests on the Columbia campus, saying recent antisemitic acts are the work of a few bad apples, and not the majority of students.

We got the former CNN commentator and current CUNY professor Tuesday on "TMZ Live," where he shared his observations from the demonstrations ... which have led to hundreds of student arrests, but also countless others feeling unsafe.

According to Marc -- who's a former Columbia professor -- most of the protests he's observed have been peaceful, with students simply speaking out against Israel's actions in its war with Hamas.

However, many Jewish students and faculty have been threatened -- some have even been barred from campus for their safety -- and Marc was quick to slam any hateful rhetoric from protestors as "deplorable."

While he staunchly supports the students' right to protest, he points out free speech doesn't mean they can create a campus climate where others feel scared.

He does emphasize this isn't the norm on campus, not in his experience -- but, still, Columbia has moved to virtual learning due to growing safety concerns amid the anti-Israel protests.

That being said, Marc insists most of the students are there in hopes of ending the war, and are not calling for more Hamas terrorist acts like Oct. 7th -- as some protesters have shockingly done.