Some Democrats have broken rank with their colleagues and have begun calling for the resignations at Columbia University, furious at how anti-Israel protests have engulfed campus life for a third week.
The ongoing 'Gaza Solidarity Encampment' has been ongoing for nearly two weeks and has led to the arrests of hundreds of protestors.
The activists have often vacillated between pro-Palestinian and pro-Gaza chants to anti-Zionist messages laced with antisemitism.
This enraged a small number of Democrats who last week want as far as going to the university to call for it to take action against the targeting and harassment of Jewish students as a result of the encampments.
Now, some of those Democrats who visited the university are going further, writing to the trustees of Columbia University to request they 'act decisively, disband the encampment, and ensure the safety and security of all of its students.'
'The time for negotiation is over; the time for action is now,' Jewish Reps. Josh Gottheimer, N.J., and Dan Goldman, N.Y., wrote to the trustees.
'It is ultimately the responsibility of the Board of Trustees to act.'
Gottheimer and Goldman - who both led the Democrat trip to Columbia's campus last week - said if the Board of Trustees is unable to shut down the encampments they should resign.
Still, the two Democrats have yet to call on the University's President Minouche Shafik to resign as all New York Republicans and Speaker Mike Johnson have.
'For the past week, this encampment has been the breeding ground for antisemitic attacks on Jewish students, including hate speech, harassment, intimidation, and even threats of violence,' the letter stated.
'Instead of solving the root cause of discrimination and harassment that students faced on campus, the administration decided to segregate some students from campus altogether, which naturally created an unsafe environment on campus for all students.'
'If any Trustees are unwilling to do this, they should resign so that they can be replaced by individuals who will uphold the University’s legal obligations under Title VI.'
The letter was signed by 21 Democrat lawmakers in total.
Their tough stance comes while other members of the caucus have embraced the student protests at Columbia and elsewhere.
Progressive 'Squad' members Reps. Ilhan Omar, Minn., and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, N.Y., have gone as far as visiting some pro-Palestinian encampments to express their support and even take selfies with admiring fans.
'I had the honor of seeing the Columbia University anti-war encampment firsthand,' Omar posted on X after her campus visit.
'Contrary to right-wing attacks, these students are joyfully protesting for peace and an end to the genocide taking place in Gaza. I’m in awe of their bravery and courage.'
Notably, Omar's daughter, Irsa Hirsi, was one of the students arrested at Columbia University on April 18. Over a hundred other students and protestors 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 pathetically described as leaving her homeless and hungry as we was temporarily not allowed to stay on campus or access her meal plan.
Many Democrats have not gone as far as supporting the demonstrations in the same fashion as the 'Squad' members, but a lot of them have demurred on whether the paralyzing 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 and those who don't.
After the letter was sent, the University sent out a memo notifying students that the encampment would be cleared out by 2:00 p.m. Monday.
If students resisted, they would be suspended and not provided an opportunity to leave the semester in good standing with Columbia.
After the deadline to clear the encampment passed, videos of faculty linking arms to protect the protestors emerged, indicating they will prevent the university and law enforcement from breaking the tent city down.
'Columbia has surrendered to the radical pro-Hamas antisemitic mob instead of securing campus and protecting Columbia’s Jewish students,' Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik, N.Y., said in a statement after the protestors were unmoved Monday.
'There can be no more extensions or delays. There can be no negotiations with self-proclaimed Hamas terrorists and their sympathizers.'
Gottheimer's office did not return a request for comment.
No comments:
Post a Comment