Columbia University leaders seem to have made student protesters more angry about the Israel-Hamas war by deciding to arrest over 100 students during pro-Palestine demonstrations on Friday.
Under pressure from politicians on both sides, university President Minouche Shafik is being urged to resign as hundreds of students now occupy the center of campus in a protest for a cease-fire in the war and for the Biden administration to stop military aid to Israel.
Students started the Gaza Solidarity Encampment last Wednesday, the same day Shafik faced harsh questioning from the House Education Committee on campus antisemitism.
Shafik’s order for arrests has only strengthened the demonstrations, which have now spread to numerous college campuses nationwide, including New York University, Yale University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
The Biden administration criticized the protests Sunday, calling them “blatantly antisemitic” and saying they were encouraging “calls for violence.” New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) made similar comments.
At least three Barnard College students have been suspended, including the daughter of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.).
Safety concerns for Jewish students on campus have also been raised, leading Columbia to move classes online starting Monday, hours before the Jewish holiday of Passover begins.
Antisemitism has been increasing both nationwide and internationally since Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel, but a significant portion of the protesting students are Jewish, and protest groups have fought back against characterizations of their demonstrations as antisemitic. There have been no reports of violence from the protests.
“We are frustrated by media distractions focusing on inflammatory individuals who do not represent us,” protest leaders wrote in a statement Sunday. “Our members have been misidentified by a politically motivated mob.”
“We firmly reject any form of hate or bigotry and stand vigilant against non-students attempting to disrupt the solidarity being forged among students,” they continued. “Palestinian, Muslim, Arab, Jewish, Black and pro-Palestinian classmates and colleagues who represent the full diversity of our country.”
On Monday, lawmakers from both parties called on Shafik to rein in the protests or step down from her post. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) said university leadership has “clearly lost control of its campus, putting Jewish students’ safety at risk.”
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) added that Shafik should “do your job or resign,” comparing the protests to the violent white supremacist demonstrations in Charlottesville, Va., in 2017.
The Israeli government also commented on the protest, calling the students “terrorists” in a post on the social media platform X.
On Sunday, Education Committee Chair Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) w