Some Democrats have broken ranks with their colleagues and begun calling for resignations at Columbia University, furious at how anti-Israel protests have engulfed university life for a third week.
The current ‘Gaza Solidarity Camp’ has been underway for almost two weeks and has led to the arrest of hundreds of protesters.
Activists have often vacillated between pro-Palestinian and pro-Gaza chants and anti-Zionist messages mixed with anti-Semitism.
This angered a small number of Democrats who last week even wanted to go to the university to ask it to take action against attacks and harassment of Jewish students as a result of the camps.
Now, some of the Democrats who visited the university are going further, writing to Columbia University administrators asking them to “act decisively, disband the camp, and ensure the safety of all of your students.”
Representatives Josh Gottheimer, Jared Moskowitz, Kathy Manning and Dan Goldman speak at a press conference about recent anti-Semitism directed at Jewish students studying at Columbia University last week.
Pro-Palestinian protesters hold a brief demonstration after marching around the ‘Gaza Solidarity Camp’ on the West Lawn of Columbia University on Monday. Protesters marched at Columbia University as the 2 p.m. deadline to clear the encampment granted to students by the university passed.
The Democrats’ letter calls on the Columbia University Board of Trustees to close the camp or resign for failing to meet federal standards for accredited universities.
‘The time for negotiation is over; “Now is the time to act,” Jewish Representatives Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey and Dan Goldman of New York wrote to the trustees.
“Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the Board of Directors to act.”
Gottheimer and Goldman, who led the Democratic trip to the Columbia campus last week, said that if the Board of Trustees cannot close the camps, they should resign.
Still, the two Democrats have not yet called for the resignation of University President Minouche Shafik, as have all New York Republicans and President Mike Johnson.
“Over the past week, this camp has been a breeding ground for anti-Semitic attacks against Jewish students, including hate speech, harassment, intimidation, and even threats of violence,” the letter said.
“Instead of addressing the root cause of the discrimination and harassment students faced on campus, the administration decided to segregate some students from campus entirely, which naturally created an unsafe environment on campus for all students.”
“If any of the Trustees are unwilling to do this, they should resign so that they can be replaced by individuals who will meet the University’s legal obligations under Title VI.”
The letter was signed by a total of 21 Democratic lawmakers.
The protesters did not comply with the university’s request and broke up the camp on Monday afternoon.
Their tough stance comes as other members of the group have embraced student protests in Columbia and elsewhere.
Progressive members of the ‘Squad’, Reps. Ilhan Omar, Minnesota, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York, have even visited some pro-Palestinian camps to express their support and even take selfies with admirers.
“I had the honor of seeing firsthand the pacifist camp at Columbia University,” Omar posted in X after his visit to the campus.
‘Contrary to the attacks from the right, these students are joyfully protesting for peace and an end to the genocide taking place in Gaza. “I am amazed by their bravery and courage.”
Notably, Omar’s daughter, Irsa Hirsi, was one of the students arrested at Columbia University on April 18. More than a hundred other students and protesters were also arrested that day.
Hirsi’s arrest was also accompanied by a suspension from her school, Barnard College, which the Democrat’s daughter later described as leaving her homeless and hungry, as we were temporarily not allowed to stay on campus or access her meal plan. .
Many Democrats have stopped short of supporting the demonstrations in the same way as members of the ‘Squad,’ but many of them have raised objections about whether the gridlock protests are appropriate.
The letter sent Monday draws a line in the sand for Democrats, separating those who condemn the pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel protests from those who do not.
After sending the letter, the University sent a memo notifying students that the camp would be vacated at 2:00 pm on Monday.
If students resisted, they would be suspended and not given the opportunity to finish the semester up to date with Columbia.
After the deadline to clear the encampment passed, videos emerged of professors linking arms to protect protesters, indicating they will prevent the university and law enforcement from tearing down the tent city.
“Columbia has surrendered to the radical anti-Semitic pro-Hamas mob instead of securing the campus and protecting Columbia’s Jewish students,” Republican Conference President Elise Stefanik, New York, said in a statement after protesters They remained impassive on Monday.
‘There can be no more extensions or delays. There can be no negotiations with the self-proclaimed Hamas terrorists and their sympathizers.
Gottheimer’s office did not respond to a request for comment.