Anti-Israel protesters at Columbia University A professor told Fox News Digital that the campus has “crossed the line” and become a terrorist organization amid ongoing protests at the Ivy League school.
“Yesterday, what we saw is this pro-terrorism student organization “They have crossed the line of being a real terrorist organization,” business professor Shai Davidi told Fox Digital.
Davidi cited video footage from Saturday as the breaking point when protesters “crossed the line.” A protester was seen holding a sign reading “al-Qassam’s next targets”, pointing towards a group of Jewish students who were singing and waving an Israeli flag. Al-Qassam is the military wing of the terrorist organization Hamas.
Hundreds of protesters were seen on Columbia’s campus again on Saturday, with social media videos showing them chanting slogans and releasing red smoke in front of the Columbia East Gate.
Anti-Israel students demonstrate on the campus of Columbia University in New York City on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (Peter Gerber for Fox News Digital)
“Up with liberation, up. Down with occupation, down,” they shouted from the gate of the closed compound.
Protesters also shouted and chanted: “Al-Qassam, you make us proud, kill another soldier now,” “We say justice, you say how, burn Tel Aviv!” and “Hamas we love you. We even support your rockets!”
The protests, which followed the outbreak of hostilities in Israel on October 7, are centered on students and demonstrators’ demands that Colombia completely secede from Israel.
One of the slogans the anti-Israel protesters chanted was “Hamas we love you. We even support your rockets!” (Peter Gerber for Fox News Digital)
“We demand that Columbia sever academic ties with Israeli universities and we demand that Columbia stop censoring and intimidating students who are standing up and advocating for Palestinian liberation,” a protester shouted last week. ” New York Post reported,
Davidi blamed the administration and faculty for anti-Semitism on campus, who, he said, encouraged the protesters after failing to take any action on anti-Semitism on campus since the war in Israel began.
Columbia student says he gets ‘crazy front row seat’ to anti-Israel protests
“All the faculty named in the congressional hearings, and many more, are not only encouraging them, not only cheering them on, but they are repeatedly appearing in the illegal camp of terrorists and encouraging them to move forward.” And encouraging them to fight till the end, no matter what, and finally, they are being encouraged by the administration, who made a big Thursday to bring in NYPDArrested 108 students for trespassing, and like a turnstile, brought them back to the campus,” he said.
A view of banners and Palestinian flags as anti-Israel student protesters resume a demonstration at Columbia University on Friday, the third day of a “Gaza solidarity camp” following mass arrests by the New York Police Department on April 19, 2024. (Selcuk Acre/Anadolu via Getty Images)
davidai compared Fueled protest and anti-SemitismArguing that “the students who are being brainwashed are the burning material,” while “the administration that has done nothing for six months” acts as the oxygen that fuels the fire, and “Hamas supporter professor is arsonist”.
At least three people were arrested on Saturday, including one count of disorderly conduct, according to the New York Post. Another person was seen being taken away on a stretcher by EMS and treated for an undisclosed problem.
“We want justice, you tell us how? Stop giving arms to Israel now!” The protesters raised slogans of Saturday.
Saturday’s protests came after more than 100 protesters were arrested on Thursday when police raided a tent camp they had set up, dubbed the “Gaza solidarity camp” and “liberated zone”. The daughter of Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar was among those arrested Thursday after she said earlier that day that she was suspended from Barnard College for “standing in solidarity with Palestinians facing genocide.” Was, Fox Digital previously reported.
The Orthodox rabbi of Columbia University asked students in a message to leave campus “as soon as possible” until the situation improves. (Selcuk Acre/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Davidi also took issue with New York politicians who have remained silent on the protests, particularly Democratic senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, calling them “shameful.”
“And Chuck Schumer, who is the senator from New York, has said absolutely nothing. And Gillibrand has said absolutely nothing. And these people are shameful. They’re shameful. And I hope they go, not because I’m in it.” I don’t believe in their liberal values, but I don’t believe in their morality. You can’t just say things and let the Jewish students decide for themselves last night, and this morning, and for the last four days. Said, “We have seen Jewish students protecting themselves.”
He added, “And it’s time not just for the NYPD, but for the National Guard. Governor Hochul has to come and say something.”
New York native and Jewish influential person Lizzie Savetsky told Fox that the protests are “deeply disturbing” because New York City is home to the world’s largest Jewish community outside of Israel, and asked Davidi to encourage more local leaders to step up and take action on the protests. is required.
NYPD officers patrol as protesters demonstrate outside the campus of Columbia University on Thursday, April 18, 2024 in New York City. (Peter Gerber for Fox News Digital)
“Columbia’s violent protests are a stark contrast to our city’s values of diversity and mutual respect. As a Jewish activist in NYC, I stand with students facing threats and discrimination on campus. Columbia deserves the respect of all students. Safety must be prioritized and ensuring access to education is safe With the alarming increase in anti-Semitic attacks in our city, state and local officials must step up to protect the Jewish community in Colombia and combat these terrorist supporters on our streets. Immediate action must be taken,” he said.
Republican New York Representative Elise Stefanik, who has been publicly condemning anti-Semitism on American campuses for months, last week called on Columbia President Minouche Shafik to “immediately resign” and the school appoint a , which “will protect Jewish students and enforce school policies.” ,
Yola Ashkenazi, a student at Barnard College, Columbia University, told Fox News Digital on Sunday that the atmosphere on campus is “scary, dangerous and unstable” and that protesters have crossed a line and turned “violent.”
“On Saturday night, student protesters proudly chanted Death of Jewish and Israeli students, They did this by chanting slogans in support of the military wing of Hamas and calling on them to attack Israeli cities and pro-Israel students in Colombia. As a university that prides itself on critical thinking, I have seen its complete loss this week,” she said.
“Jewish students are unable to live on campus right now. Preventing us from receiving the education we work so hard to achieve is unacceptable, and the university administration must do everything possible to ensure that we can as soon as possible So that we can resume our studies.” Possible,” Ashkenazi said.
Columbia alumnus Sheila Nazarian, who is originally from Iran, told Fox Digital that she stopped donating to the school due to anti-Semitism on campus, and said the National Guard is now being called to respond to campus threats. The time has come to give up, while the administration should expel the students who participate in it. Oppose.
“Having attended classes at Columbia University, I have always valued the institution’s dedication to intellectual diversity and open discourse. However, recent events on campus with anti-Israel protests and inflammatory rhetoric are extremely troubling. As an alumnus, I believe it is important for Columbia to maintain its principles of inclusivity while protecting the rights of all students, including those of Jewish descent. Columbia stopped receiving donations from many alumni, including me. “They have failed to stop the student body from passing the BDS resolution. They will not receive a dime in donations from me until this anti-Semitism problem is addressed,” he said.
“Jewish students are unable to live on campus right now,” one student said. (Peter Gerber for Fox News Digital)
“It is imperative for the university administration to take definitive steps to address and condemn any form of discrimination or hostility targeting Jewish students. Call out the National Guard. Stop accepting money from foreign bad actors. Stop terrorist supporters on staff. Shoot the terrorists. Expel the terrorist students.” “These are all adults and they need to be held accountable.”
Fox News Digital contacted the school for comment on its responses to the protests, but did not immediately receive a response.
One protester reportedly shouted last week, “We demand that Columbia sever academic ties with Israeli universities and we demand that Columbia stop censoring and intimidating students who stand up for Palestinian liberation And advocating.” (Peter Gerber for Fox News Digital)
This weekend, the Orthodox rabbi at Columbia University and Barnard College asked students in a message to leave campus “as soon as possible” until the situation improves, noting “what we are seeing on and around campus.” That’s horrible and sad.”
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Rabbi Eli Buechler wrote, “The events of the past few days, especially last night, have made it clear that the public safety of Columbia University and the NYPD cannot guarantee the safety of Jewish students in the face of extreme anti-Semitism and lawlessness.” Can.” “I am very sad to say that I would strongly recommend that you return home as soon as possible and remain at home until the reality on and around campus improves dramatically.”
Fox News Digital’s Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
