Columbia must send the pro-Hamas protestors a clear message

Excerpt

The intifada revolution has engulfed Columbia University. Just a week after a congressional hearing in which President Minouche Shafik touted her school’s efforts to combat antisemitism, protests rife with antisemitism raged on Columbia’s campus. Shafik tried to assuage lawmakers’ concerns on April 18 by dispersing an unsanctioned anti-Israel protest on Columbia’s lawn, leading to more than 100 students getting arrested. But many returned, and the demonstrations grew, testing Shafik’s commitment to defending Jewish students.  

At a House Committee on Education and the Workforce hearing, Shafik acknowledged that Columbia’s anti-Israel demonstrations were rife with antisemitism, admitted that there was a problem and pointed to steps she had taken to combat the issue. Shafik cited a new demonstration policy of Feb. 19 that confines protests to a designated location on weekday afternoons, with two-day advance notice and approval from the university, and accountability measures for policy violators.  

But just one day after the hearing, many students returned, and were hurling abusive phrases like, “We don’t want no Zionists here” and “Oh Hamas, my beloved, strike Tel Aviv.” The circus at Columbia attracted jesters right outside campus, including one who vowed, “October 7th will happen every day for you … 10,000 times” and another who allegedly punched Arab-Israeli activist Yoseph Hadad in the face. The situation got so out of hand that a Columbia University rabbi warned Jewish students to go home and the university moved to virtual classes on April 22. 

David May is a research manager and senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, where Sabrina Soffer is a research intern. Follow David on X @DavidSamuelMay.