Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez praised the “peaceful” anti-Israel protesters causing chaos on Ivy League campuses during a Monday event celebrating Earth Day.
Students across Ivy League campuses have launched chaotic protests against the Israel-Hamas war, leading to arrests and clashes between protesters and law enforcement. Police arrested over 40 pro-Palestinian protesters at Yale University Sunday after they refused to disband their encampment on campus. Over 100 were taken into custody at Columbia University during Thursday’s demonstration, the New York Post reported.
“It is especially important that we remember the power of young people shaping this country today, of all days, as we once again witness the leadership of those peaceful, student-led protests on campuses like Columbia, Yale, Berkeley and many others,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
While Ocasio-Cortez expressed solidarity, President Joe Biden condemned the antisemitic protests that have led Jewish students to fear for their safety as protesters chant antisemitic slogans. (RELATED: IDF Veteran Says She Fears For Her Safety At Columbia University)
“The ancient story of persecution against Jews in the Haggadah also reminds us that we must speak out against the alarming surge of Antisemitism – in our schools, communities, and online. Silence is complicity. Even in recent days, we’ve seen harassment and calls for violence against Jews,” the president’s statement read.
“This blatant Antisemitism is reprehensible and dangerous – and it has absolutely no place on college campuses, or anywhere in our country,” Biden continued.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates said any calls for violence against Jews are “blatantly Antisemitic, unconscionable, and dangerous,” according to The Washington Post.
Columbia University heightened its security controls and switched to remote learning as tensions continued to increase around the Morningside Heights campus early Monday, according to ABC News 7. Police reportedly arrested 113 people earlier in the week as they clashed with the protesters, and three more were arrested Saturday.
“We are acting on concerns we are hearing from our Jewish students and are providing additional support and resources to ensure that our community remains safe,” a Columbia University spokesperson told CNN in a statement.
Rabbi Elie Buechler, who is associated with Columbia’s Orthodox Union Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus, told Jake Tapper he sent a WhatsApp message to around 300 primarily Orthodox Jewish students “strongly” suggesting they leave campus, CNN reported.
Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams condemned the targeting of Jewish students on campus.
The First Amendment protects the right to protest but students also have a right to learn in an environment free from harassment or violence.
At Columbia or on any campus, threatening Jewish students with violence or glorifying the terror of October 7 is antisemitism.
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) April 21, 2024
New York Police Department (NYPD) officers clashed with protesters who refused to remove their tents off campus late last week, according to ABC News 7.
A pro-Palestinian group called “Occupy Beinecke” created a 24-tent encampment on Yale University’s campus to protest the war and to show solidarity with their counterparts at Columbia University, CBS News reported. Police said the 45 individuals arrested have reportedly been charged with criminal trespass and have since been released from custody.
Protesters at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Emerson College in Boston also witnessed protests, CBS News reported.
Sahar Tartak, a Jewish student at Yale University, alleged to the New York Post that she got stabbed in the eye with a Palestinian flag Sunday night as pro-Palestinian protesters allegedly taunted her and gave her the middle finger.