House Democrats demand Columbia University trustees disband ‘tent camp’ or resign
Nearly two dozen House Democrats put Columbia University’s Board of Trustees on notice Monday, demanding its members either move to disband the anti-Israel encampments or resign.
The group of 21 Dems, led by Reps. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey and Dan Goldman of New York, underscored in a letter to the board how Jewish students at the prestigious Ivy League school in Manhattan have faced a spate of harassment, threats of violence and intimidation.
“The First Amendment guarantees freedom of speech and assembly, but not freedom to harass and intimidate other students,” the Democrats wrote.
“It is clear to us that the University has allowed the encampment to create an environment that appears to violate its legal obligations to protect all students from discrimination and harassment,” the letter said.
Earlier this month, scores of anti-Israel protesters set up encampments at Columbia to protest the Israel-Hamas war.
The disruptive protests began around the time embattled Columbia president Minouche Shafik testified before Congress about the institution’s approach to countering antisemitism on campus.
Since then, more than 100 Columbia students have been arrested for disobeying law enforcement orders during their sit-ins and rallies.
Columbia was forced to switch to hybrid learning for the remainder of the semester because of elevated tensions at the Morningside Heights campus.
Follow The Post’s live blog for the latest on anti-Israel protests on campuses across the US
School officials attempted to negotiate with the anti-Israel students, but on Monday, Shafik admitted that those discussions broke down.
Columbia then gave students a 2 p.m. deadline to clear out of the encampment or face suspension, but the deadline came and went with no signs of voluntary or forced dispersal.
The House Democrats who signed the letter to the school’s board cited Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as a basis for their demands.
The statute bans discrimination by higher education institutions that receive federal assistance.
“Many students who are paying for an education — supported by the federal government — cannot safely attend class, enter the library, or leave their dorm rooms,” the pols wrote.
“After nearly a week of negotiations, it is now abundantly clear that the students and activists entrenched on campus are unwilling to enter into a reasonable agreement to disband, which is necessary to bring the University into compliance with Title VI.”
Follow The Post’s coverage of the pro-terror protests at colleges across the US:
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- Iranian college offers free tuition to US students expelled for participating in anti-Israel protests: ‘Our people’
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Pointing to the failure to hash out a deal, the group of Democrats called on the university to “act decisively, disband the encampment, and ensure the safety and security of all of its students.”
Since the encampments were first erected, there have been multiple reports of harrowing antisemitic incidents on campus.
They have drawn sharp denunciations from the White House and numerous politicians.
“Last weekend, a student held up a sign pointing to pro-Israel students that said ‘Al-Qa[ss]am’s next targets,’ referring to the military arm of Hamas,” the Democrats wrote.
“One of the protest leaders has previously declared, ‘Zionists — they are Nazis. They’re Nazis. They’re fascists. They’re supporters of genocide. Why would we want people who are supporters of genocide to live?’ and students routinely chanted ‘from the river to the sea,’ which is a cry to eliminate Israel and all Jews within its borders.”
Top Republicans such as House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Republican Conference chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) have called on Shafik to resign.
“Columbia has surrendered to the radical pro-Hamas antisemitic mob instead of securing campus and protecting Columbia’s Jewish students,” Stefanik said in a statement Monday.
“There can be no more extensions or delays. There can be no negotiations with self-proclaimed Hamas terrorists and their sympathizers.”
Johnson visited Columbia last week and said President Biden should dispatch the National Guard to the scene.
By contrast, lefty Reps. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-NY), Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) have also visited the campus and were largely supportive of the protests.
In addition to Goldman and Gottheimer, the signatories of the House Democratic letter were Reps. Henry Cuellar of Texas, Lois Frankel of Florida, Steny Hoyer of Maryland, Greg Landsman of Ohio, Kathy Manning of North Carolina, Robert Menendez Jr. of New Jersey, Jared Moskowitz of Florida, Wiley Nickel of North Carolina, Donald Norcross of New Jersey, Chris Pappas of New Hampshire, Dean Phillips of Minnesota, Adam Schiff of California, Brad Schneider of Illinois, Darren Soto of Florida, Haley Stevens of Michigan, Tom Suozzi of New York, Ritchie Torres of New York, Marc Veasey of Texas and Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida.
“The time for negotiation is over; the time for action is now. It is ultimately the responsibility of the Board of Trustees to act,” their letter said.
“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.”
Columbia University declined to comment to The Post on Monday.
