3 weeks ago
Columbia University's embattled president, Nemat Minouche Shafik, has been a target of critics who accused her of going excessively soft connected anti-Israel radicals who ran amok on her campus until she caved and called constabulary for thief aft nan agitators escalated nan chaos by taking complete an world building connected Tuesday.
Now she's besides facing a imaginable mutiny from a module group that alleges nan constabulary consequence went excessively far.
Although assemblage leaders many times pushed backmost nan "deadline" for nan agitators to disperse, Shafik yet asked nan New York City Police Department (NYPD) to clear a group of them retired this week aft a mob smashed its measurement into nan Hamilton Hall building connected field and barricaded nan doors and windows, confronting attraction workers and waiving a Palestinian emblem from nan roof.
"President Shafik is reaping what she and different elder administrators person sown," said William A. Jacobson, Cornell University rule professor and laminitis of nan Equal Protection Project. "For decades, but peculiarly successful nan past respective years, assemblage administrators person watched campuses go much and much radicalized and racialized."
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Columbia University President Nemat Minouche Shafik is nether unit to resign her post. (Fox News Digital)
"For decades, but peculiarly successful nan past respective years, assemblage administrators person watched campuses go much and much radicalized and racialized."
— Cornell rule professor William A. JacobsonThe assemblage acknowledged nan unit that nan management is facing but did not make Shafik disposable for an interview.
"President Shafik continues to regularly consult pinch members of nan community, including faculty, administration, and trustees, arsenic good arsenic pinch state, city, and organization leaders," a Columbia University spokesperson told Fox News Digital. "She appreciates nan efforts of those moving alongside her connected nan agelong roadworthy up to heal our community."
Jacobson told Fox News Digital nan attack to field activity led to a divisive situation pitting different student groups against 1 different – and nan proliferation of antisemitism successful particular.
WATCH: Body camera footage shows NYPD breach Hamilton Hall astatine Columbia University
"Appeasement only made nan problem worse, and stopping nan appeasement and enforcing nan rules is viewed by nan protesters arsenic a betrayal," he said. "Columbia and different universities request to determine if they will effort to stem nan tide of radicalism aliases let it to destruct nan university."
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The field section of nan American Association of University Professors (AAUP), a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that promotes "academic state and shared governance," called for a ballot of nary assurance successful Shafik and different Columbia management officials, including nan full committee of trustees, connected Thursday.
Columbia University President Nemat Minouche Shafik (Fox News Digital)
On nan different hand, House Speaker Mike Johnson past week demanded that Shafik resign if she couldn't guidelines up to nan agitators, calling her activity "very weak" and "inept."
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Shafik, a erstwhile World Bank economist who was calved successful Egypt and knowledgeable successful nan U.S. and United Kingdom, said successful a connection posted to nan university's website Wednesday that ongoing tensions filled her pinch a "deep sadness."
Anti-Israel agitators artifact nan entranceway of Hamilton Hall astatine Columbia University successful New York City connected April 30, 2024. (AP/Marco Postigo Storel)
"Early Tuesday morning, tensions connected our field roseate to caller heights erstwhile a mini group of protesters collapsed into Hamilton Hall, barricaded themselves inside, and occupied it passim nan day," she said. "This drastic escalation of galore months of protestation activity pushed nan University to nan brink, creating a disruptive situation for everyone and raising information risks to an intolerable level."
University leaders appeared to person had capable pinch nan demonstrations aft the takeover and requested NYPD assistance.
The AAUP's Columbia chapter, which is comparatively caller and only represents a fewer professors, connected Thursday called nan NYPD's introduction to Hamilton Hall a "horrific constabulary attack."
A spokesperson for nan nationalist statement declined to remark connected nan telephone for a ballot of nary assurance but said nan statement had received reports of convulsive behaviour against "peaceful student protesters."
Masked agitators barricade themselves wrong Hamilton Hall astatine Columbia University successful New York City connected April 30, 2024. Police cleared nan installation Tuesday evening and arrested dozens of group who had blocked doors pinch furnishings and alloy chains. (Alex Kent/Getty Images)
But constabulary supporters statement location were nary reported injuries.
"By what metric was it horrific? I’ve heard nary declare of injury," said Paul Mauro, a retired NYPD inspector who has been pursuing nan standoff. "They were called successful by nan school. The students were black-letter breaking nan law. It’s now known that astir half nan protesters are not moreover affiliated pinch nan school."
In fact, a rule enforcement root said that much than half of nan Hamilton Hall occupiers were not Columbia students.
"What I find ‘horrific’ is felony burglary astatine an institute of higher learning, acknowledgment to violent, drop-in rebel groups," Mauro added.
NYPD CRUSHES ANTI-AMERICAN MOB ON NYC CAMPUSES AS MAYOR BLASTS ‘DESPICABLE’ SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT
A masked fig smashes a model to get wrong Hamilton Hall astatine Columbia University successful New York City connected April 30, 2024. (Alex Kent/Getty Images)
There were nary charismatic reports of injuries erstwhile constabulary cleared nan building. However, supporters of nan demonstrations person alleged students were wounded during nan roundup.
"We person heard a assortment of reports and reviewed footage that shows serene student protesters treated [violently] by rule enforcement," nationalist AAUP spokesperson Kelly Benjamin told Fox News Digital. "'Individuals were thrown down stairs, 1 was near unconscious. Police were tasering serene protesters and look to person utilized a fume explosive connected campus."
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WATCH: NYPD merchandise footage from wrong barricaded Columbia building
The group's president, Irene Mulvey, had condemned Shafik for calling successful constabulary successful consequence to nan first protests past month, erstwhile nan NYPD cleared a shelter encampment connected field only for different 1 to popular up connected a different lawn.
"Critically evaluating different points of position and putting up to statement moreover nan astir profoundly held beliefs are what we should beryllium promoting, modeling and supporting," she said astatine nan time. "President Shafik’s silencing of serene protesters and having them hauled disconnected to jailhouse does a sedate disservice to Columbia’s estimation and will beryllium a imperishable stain connected her statesmanlike legacy."
When asked for comment, nan NYPD replied pinch a nexus to video of Wednesday's news briefing connected nan incident successful which New York City Mayor Eric Adams ripped into the "despicable" world situation that allowed anti-American and anti-Israeli activism to fester.
"My uncle died defending this country, and these men and women put their lives connected nan statement – and it's bad that schools will let different country's emblem to alert successful our country," Adams, a erstwhile NYPD captain, told reporters.
"There’s thing serene astir barricading buildings, destroying spot aliases dismantling information cameras," nan politician added.
Hours earlier nan raid, photos showed a mob of masked and keffiyah-clad demonstrators who collapsed into nan building, barricaded nan doors and took it over.
Anti-Israel students astatine Columbia University group up campy connected nan school's West Lawn, wherever they placed tents and demanded administrators divest from Israel and return different steps successful support of Hamas' warfare connected nan country. (Micheal Ruiz/Fox News Digital)
By nan clip constabulary stormed nan structure, they recovered doors chained shut, furnishings blocking entree and dozens of agitators inside.
ANTISEMITIC RIOT AT COLUMBIA REACHES BOILING POINT AS AGITATORS TAKE OVER ACADEMIC BUILDING, BARRICADE DOORS
Columbia officials had yet threatened nan occupiers pinch expulsion astir 2 weeks into ongoing demonstrations that Jewish students said seethed pinch antisemitism and intimidation tactics.
Supporters of Students for Justice successful Palestine, 1 of nan groups organizing nan nationalist anti-Israel demonstrations, insist they are carrying retired serene protests.
A pro-Palestinian demonstrator holds a emblem connected nan rooftop of Hamilton Hall astatine Columbia University successful New York City connected April 30, 2024. (Yuki Iwamura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
However, aggregate students who said they were authorized to speak connected behalf of nan group declined to talk their activities pinch Fox News Digital.
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Police arrested almost 300 group Tuesday nighttime astatine Hamilton Hall and astatine different rally astatine nan City College of New York.
Officials placed nan field connected lockdown this week and restricted media entree connected Wednesday and Thursday. Hamilton Hall, wherever windows were smashed and furnishings rearranged to artifact doors, continued to beryllium considered an "active crime scene."
Fox News' CB Cotton contributed to this report.
