House Democrats tell Columbia University admin, 'time for negotiation is over'

Columbia University enactment was urged by 21 House Democrats connected Monday that the "time for dialog is over," arsenic an anti-Israel encampment broiling with antisemitism has persisted connected campus for weeks. 

Led Reps. Josh Gottheimer, of New Jersey, and Dan Goldman, of New York, 21 House Democrats signed onto a missive urging Columbia University’s Board of Trustees to disband "the unauthorized and impermissible encampment of anti-Israel, anti-Jewish activists connected campus." 

Later Monday, the assemblage gave agitators until 2 p.m. to wide the encampment oregon beryllium suspended.

As a effect of the disruption connected campus, supported by immoderate module members, "many students person been prevented from safely attending class, the main library, and from leaving their dorm rooms successful an evident usurpation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act," they wrote. The 21 signatories acknowledged however the Columbia administration earlier had "tacitly acknowledged that the encampment had created an impermissibly hostile and unsafe situation for Jewish students by resorting to hybrid learning, appearing to interruption Title VI of the Civil Rights Act." 

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Anti-Israel encampment astatine Columbia University connected April 28, 2024.  (CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images)

"Those who interruption the instrumentality cannot dictate the presumption of the University’s quality to comply with that law. It is past clip for the University to enactment decisively, disband the encampment, and guarantee the information and information of each of its students," the missive says. "The clip for dialog is over; the clip for enactment is now. It is yet the work of the Board of Trustees to act. If immoderate Trustees are unwilling to bash this, they should resign truthful that they tin beryllium replaced by individuals who volition uphold the University’s ineligible obligations nether Title VI." 

All members of the House Republican delegation from New York, led by House GOP Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik, had already demanded Columbia University President Minouche Shafik's resignation aft antisemitic protests continued connected field successful the days pursuing her grounds earlier the House Education and the Workforce Committee. Shafik, connected the time aft her testimony, allowed constabulary onto field to apprehension much than 100 demonstrators, but aboriginal that weekend, the encampment boldly reorganized and remained arsenic Shafik opted to support constabulary away, extracurricular the assemblage gates. 

READ THE HOUSE DEMOCRATS' LETTER - APP USERS, CLICK HERE:

Shafik "lied to Congress aggregate times astir extremist pro-terror prof Mohamed Abdou's employment status," Stefanik said successful a connection obtained by Fox News Digital. "Despite her grounds otherwise, Abdou has been rallying astatine Columbia's antisemitic encampment promoting Jewish hate. This straight contradicts Shafik's grounds which is yet different crushed wherefore Shafik indispensable instantly resign." 

Monday's missive from Democrats assesses that implicit the past week, the Columbia encampment "has been the breeding crushed for antisemitic attacks connected Jewish students, including hatred speech, harassment, intimidation, and adjacent threats of violence," citing however a pupil held up a motion pointing to pro-Israel students that said "Al-Qa[ss]am’s adjacent targets," "referring to the subject limb of Hamas, the overseas violent enactment liable for the atrocities of October 7, and for holding hostage guiltless civilians – including Americans – successful brutal captivity for astir 7 months." 

Anti-Israel demonstrators proceed to signifier a protestation encampment connected the field of Columbia University connected April 26, 2024 successful New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

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The House Democrats besides called retired however 1 of the protestation leaders antecedently declared, "Zionists — they are Nazis. They’re Nazis. They’re fascists. They’re supporters of genocide. Why would we privation radical who are supporters of genocide to live?" and students routinely chanted "from the stream to the sea," a outcry "to destruct Israel and each Jews wrong its borders."

In response, the Democrats noted the White House stated, "While each American has the close to peaceful protest, calls for unit and carnal intimidation targeting Jewish students and the Jewish assemblage are blatantly antisemitic, unconscionable, and unsafe – they person perfectly nary spot connected immoderate assemblage campus, oregon anyplace successful the United States of America."

In a caller missive Monday morning, Shafik said a tiny radical of world leaders that had been engaging successful a dialog with pupil organizers "to find a way that would effect successful the dismantling of the encampment" person not been capable to scope an agreement, lamenting the "tragedy" of Jewish students leaving field amid the "intolerable" atmosphere. 

"While the University volition not divest from Israel, the University offered to make an expedited timeline for reappraisal of caller proposals from the students by the Advisory Committee for Socially Responsible Investing, the assemblage that considers divestment matters," Shafik said, referencing the protesters’ demands. "The University besides offered to people a process for students to entree a database of Columbia’s nonstop concern holdings, and to summation the frequence of updates to that database of holdings." 

Anti-Israel encampment astatine Columbia University connected April 28, 2024.  (CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images)

She said the assemblage "also offered to marque investments successful wellness and acquisition successful Gaza, including supporting aboriginal puerility improvement and enactment for displaced scholars." 

Without referencing the anticipation of further constabulary action, Shafik again said the assemblage urges those successful the encampment "to voluntarily disperse" and is "consulting with a broader radical successful our assemblage to research alternate interior options to extremity this situation arsenic soon arsenic possible." 

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In a connection archetypal obtained by Fox News Digital, Stefanik again torched Shafik for not making a "single condemnation of the vile antisemitism that is rampant successful the amerciable encampment" and said "there is not a azygous notation of protecting Jewish students from raging antisemitism astatine Columbia."

"As these alleged ‘elite’ universities neglect connected the planetary stage, it is much important than ever that Congress clasp them accountable," Stefanik said.