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 the Columbia to protest the Israel-Hamas war.
The disruptive protests began around the time embattled Columbia President Nemat “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.
School officials attempted to negotiate with the anti-Israel students, but Monday, Shafik admitted that those discussions broke down.
The House Democrats who signed the letter to the school’s board cited Title VI 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.”
“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.
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 a sharp denunciation 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.
Johnson visited Columbia last week and said President Biden should dispatch the National Guard to the scene.