Schumer condemns ‘illegality’ in Columbia University protests

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (DN.Y.) on Tuesday denounced Columbia University protesters who broke windows and unfurled an intifada flag as they took control of Hamilton Hall, delivering his strongest criticism yet moment to pro-Palestinian protesters in New York.

“Breaking windows with hammers and occupying a university building is not freedom of expression. It’s illegal. And those who did this should immediately face consequences that are not just a slap in the face,” Schumer said on the Senate floor.

“Campuses cannot be places of learning, discussion and discussion when protests turn into criminality and those who commit such acts do nothing to convince others that their cause is just,” he said.

Schumer made his comments after protesters in Columbia barricaded themselves in a building near the South Lawn campus, prompting university officials to threaten students occupying the building with expulsion.

“We made it very clear yesterday that the work of the University cannot be interrupted indefinitely by protesters breaking the rules. Continuing to do so will have clear consequences,” Columbia University said in a statement Tuesday.

Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish congressional leader in history, warned that it is “unacceptable when Jewish students are targeted for being Jewish, when protests exhibit verbal abuse, systematic intimidation, or glorification of the murderous and hateful Hamas or 7 of October. ”

Schumer referenced his historic Nov. 29 speech on anti-Semitism, which highlighted the rise in hate speech directed at Jews across the country.

“It’s disgusting. It is unacceptable,” he said.

Some Republican lawmakers, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), have called on Columbia University President Minouche Shafik to resign for letting the situation on campus get out of control.

“This President Shafik has shown himself to be a very weak and inept leader. Can’t they even guarantee the safety of Jewish students? Are they expected to run for their lives and stay home from school? It’s maddening,” Johnson said in a radio interview with Hugh Hewitt.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) took to the Senate floor after Schumer to criticize the pro-Palestinian demonstrations that have roiled college campuses across the country.

“The student radicals behind hateful chants like ‘From the River to the Sea’ have proven themselves to be incoherently ecumenical. They shouted ‘Long live Hamas,’” he said. “They were joined on the picket line by faculty members, for whom radical anti-Semitism is just an extension of their daily labors in postmodern indoctrination.”

McConnell criticized the country’s top universities for dropping their standards and showing “weakness and inaction” at the leadership level.

“What is clear is that basic understanding of history, theology and geography is very lacking,” he said. “They are in the news because weakness and inaction have allowed universities to become cauldrons of criminal chaos.”

McConnell urged Columbia leaders to pay attention to how their counterparts across the New Jersey Turnpike at Princeton University have handled protests on campus.

He noted that Princeton “maintained clear prohibitions on activities such as camping and responded quickly and severely to an attempt last night to occupy a campus building.”

“It is not enough for administrators to lament the disorder on campus. Strongly worded warnings only carry weight when they are backed by actions,” he said.