White House Condemns ‘Antisemitic, Unconscionable and Dangerous’ Protests at Columbia University
The students have continued their action for a fifth day following the arrests of over 100 people
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White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates issued a statement on Sunday that decries the protests at Columbia University as “antisemitic” and “dangerous” as pro-Palestine activists continue their actions for a fifth straight day.
“While every American has the right to peaceful protect, calls for violence and physical intimidation targeting Jewish students and the Jewish community are blatantly Antisemitic, unconscionable, and dangerous – they have absolutely no place on any college campus, or anywhere in the United States of America,” the statement began.
“And echoing the rhetoric of terrorist organizations, especially in the wake of the worst massacre committed against the Jewish people since the Holocaust, is despicable. We condemn these statements in the strongest terms,” Bates continued.
The statement was also shared by White House Deputy Communications Director Herbert Ziskend.
More than 100 students at Columbia and its sister college Barnard, including the daughter of Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, have been arrested after they refused to leave a pro-Palestine event on Thursday. The school has since said that the IDs of those students will stop working, and they may not be allowed to finish the remainder of the semester.
Each of the students has also been suspended. They were also barred from attending campus events and were escorted from their dormitories.
The arrests did little to deter many students, and protests at the school continued on Sunday.
The American Association of University Professors, Barnard and Columbia Chapters issued a joint letter in which they said they’ve “lost confidence” in the University’s president and administration.
“AAUP Barnard and Columbia pledge continued support for our students’ right to protest and to speak freely, and for our colleagues’ right to teach and to write freely within their domains of expertise. We have lost confidence in our president and administration, and we pledge to fight to reclaim our university.”
Rabbi Elie Buechler, a leader at Columbia University’s Orthodox Union Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus, issued a statement that encouraged Jewish students to go home. He explained that the events “have made it clear that Columbia University’s Public Safety and the NYPD cannot guarantee Jewish students’ safety.”
“It deeply pains me to say that I would strongly recommend you return home as soon as possible and remain home until the reality in and around campus has dramatically improved,” his message continued.
Buechler sent his message after video surfaced showing one protestor intone, “Never forget the seventh of October” and “that will happen not one more time, not five more times, not 10 more times, not 100 more times, not 1,000 more times, but 10,000 times!”
On the same day, the Columbia/Barnard Hillel, the campus Jewish organization, told students to remain at school. The organization tweeted, “We do not believe that Jewish students should leave @Columbia . We do believe that the University and the City need to do more to ensure the safety of our students.”
Others have disputed reports that the protests are violent. Journalist Lydia Polgreen shared a series of reports from NBC News Correspondent Antonia Hylton via Blue Sky in which the latter insisted, “I didn’t see a single instance of violence or aggression on the lawn or at the student encampment.”
Helpful first hand reporting from an NBC news journalist who has been on campus.
— Lydia Polgreen (@polgreen.bsky.social) Apr 21, 2024 at 1:56 PM
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The post White House Condemns ‘Antisemitic, Unconscionable and Dangerous’ Protests at Columbia University appeared first on TheWrap.