TThe White House condemned anti-Semitism on college campuses, days after New York police broke up a pro-Palestinian rally at Columbia University and arrested more than 100 students.
While avoiding naming a specific university, the White House statement is the latest sign of how campus tensions spurred by the war between Israel and Hamas are influencing U.S. politics in a presidential election year.
“While all Americans have the right to peaceful protest, calls for violence and physical intimidation against Jewish students and the Jewish community are blatantly anti-Semitic, unconscionable and dangerous,” said White House Deputy Press Secretary, Andrew Bates. “They have absolutely no place on any college campus or anywhere in the United States of America.”
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said he was “horrified and disgusted by the anti-Semitism spread in and around the Columbia University campus.” In a post on X, he said he had instructed police to investigate “any violation of the law.”
The demonstration in Columbia began on Thursday, a day after Columbia President Nemat Shafik testified at a House hearing about anti-Semitism on campus. Among the 108 students arrested was Isra Hirsi, daughter of Representative Ilhan Omar, a Democrat from Minnesota.
Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, Republican of New York, criticized Shafik’s leadership at the university in a post on X, saying Sunday that “Columbia’s leadership has clearly lost control of its campus, putting the safety of Jewish students at risk.” She called on Shafik to resign.
Stefanik was among the lawmakers who pressed Shafik on Wednesday about some Columbia professors’ praise of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel. The invasion triggered an Israeli attack on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
A group of Columbia student organizers pushed back against the White House’s criticism Sunday night, saying they “reject any form of hate or intolerance” and “are frustrated by media distractions focused on inflammatory individuals who do not represent us.”
Billionaire Bill Ackman, who has repeatedly criticized anti-Semitism in the wake of the Hamas attack, took aim at the leaders of Columbia, Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, contrasting them with “other well-run, elite universities.”
Harvard University has restricted access to Harvard Yard until Friday to lessen the likelihood of disruptive protests, the school’s student newspaper reported Sunday night. The restrictions include spot checks of university IDs and bans on items such as tents and tables without prior approval, the Harvard Crimson reported.
Yale University President Peter Salovey responded to protests on his university’s campus, saying on Sunday that while Yale supports “free speech and civil discourse,” is committed “to campus safety, peaceful assembly, and civil discourse.”
This story originally appeared on Time.com read the full story
