by Casey Harper
He was a Jewish student at Yale supposedly stabbed in the eye with a Palestinian flag during a pro-Hamas protest on campus over the weekend; the latest incident underscored the tension that has persisted on college campuses since the Hamas terrorist group attacked Israel on Oct. 7 and sparked the ongoing war.
Amid continued calls for violence, lawmakers have stepped up calls for accountability for taxpayer-funded universities as well as groups supporting Hamas, which the State Department has officially designated a terrorist organization.
“It shouldn’t be complicated,” wrote U.S. Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., on X, formerly Twitter.
Britt then called for the deportation of “any non-US citizen who supports Hamas” and the defunding of “any educational institution that authorizes, facilitates, or otherwise supports these pro-terrorist activities.”
The incident came just after Education and Labor Committee Chair Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., sharply criticized Columbia University’s leadership on Sunday for allowing pro-Hamas protesters to incite violence against Jewish students on campus.
Videos of the protests went viral online over the weekend, especially because of calls for violence that are not unique to Colombia, as previously reported by The Center Square.
The protest turned into an occupation of the area that lasted several days. According to videos of the event, chants were chanted during the protests:
- “We say justice and you say how? Burn Tel Aviv to the ground!”
- “Hamas, we love you. We support your rockets too!”
- “Red, black, green and white, we support the Hamas fight!”
- “Rebellion is right, let Hamas create hell for them!”
Foxx sent letter to Colombian President Minouche Shafik and board members expressing concerns about the campus, the latest in a string of similar incidents across the United States where pro-Hamas protests are taking place.
“I am seriously concerned about the ongoing chaos at Columbia University caused by the radical, illegal Solidarity camp in Gaza, which has now entered its fifth day,” the letter reads. “Many Jewish students have already sought refuge off campus. Columbia’s continued failure to promptly restore order and security on campus constitutes a serious violation of the University’s Title VI obligations on which federal financial assistance is dependent and must be immediately remedied. If you do not remove this danger, the Committee will not hesitate to hold you accountable.”
The letter comes as Jewish students on college campuses grapple with the reality of calls for violence against their own people as the war between Israel and the Hamas terrorist group continues.
Foxx then called for the expulsion of students and firing of faculty if necessary to resolve the problem.
She highlighted that the president of Colombia testified before Congress last week, promising to address such incidents.
“Columbia is failing to meet its obligations because Jewish students are harassed, attacked, intimidated and intimidated to the point that they leave campus in search of a safer environment,” the letter reads. “The students, faculty and staff responsible for this chaos, including members of the groups Students for Justice in Palestine, Jewish Voice for Peace, Columbia University Apartheid Divest, and Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine, have repeatedly and flagrantly violated multiple university policies and, in many cases, federal law.”
As The Center Square previously reported, the Department of Education has opened dozens of investigations this year into “common descent” violations at schools and universities across the country.
The Anti-Defamation League released a survey last fall after the October 7 Hamas attack that found that 70% of Jewish students say they have witnessed or experienced anti-Semitism this school year.
While Republicans led the charge condemning anti-Semitism, Democrats were mixed on the issue, although many also spoke out against anti-Semitism.
“The recent rise of anti-Semitism is terrifying and evil,” wrote U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts on X. “Violence and hatred have no place in Massachusetts or the United States. We must unite against hatred and condemn anti-Semitism.”
– – –
Casey Harper is a reporter for the Bureau of… Central Square.
Photo “Anti-Israel Protest” by Gayatri Malhotra.
