OAN’s James Meyers
1:45 PM – Monday, April 22, 2024
On Monday, New York House Republicans called for Columbia President Minouche Shafik to resign as anti-Israel protests have erupted across the university’s campus.
The call was led by Representative Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), saying that the school has been overrun by “anarchy” and that Shafik has failed to provide a safe learning environment for students.
The attempts to oust the university president comes after multiple day-long protests calling for a stop to the Israel-Hamas war. Protesters have pleaded Congress on a daily basis to stop sending military aid to Israel.
Over 100 protesters were arrested Friday on Shafik’s orders to clear the campus, but anti-Israel protests have only expanded and have now been witnessed at other college campuses across the country.
“The situation unfolding on campus right now is a direct product of your policies and misguided decisions,” the letter reads. “Based on these recent events and your testimony in front of Congress, we have no confidence in your leadership of this once esteemed institution.”
“The ongoing situation that has unfolded is a direct symptom of your continued lax enforcement of policy and clear double standards,” it continued. “While the rot is systemic, the responsibility rests squarely on your shoulders. It is time for Columbia University to turn the page on this shameful chapter. This can only be done through the restoration of order and your prompt resignation.”
Meanwhile, in a Monday statement, Shafik pleaded with the undergrads to go home, saying Columbia had to “reset” and “address security concerns” from students “across an array of communities.”
Columbia reportedly moved its class sessions to online platforms starting on Monday, which is hours before the Jewish holiday of Passover begins.
Additionally, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, who is Jewish, said the president was “waving the white flag” by deciding to hold classes remotely on Monday, which he maintained was an “admission” that Jewish students cannot be protected at the school.
“It’s a waving of the white flag. She has lost any courage. She has lost her moral compass,” he added. “Right now I’d be concerned about sending any student—letting alone a Jewish student — to Columbia.
“They have allowed the rise in antisemitism to fester. The professors are overwhelmingly liberal, woke and anti-American.”
Furthermore, university leaders will later hold discussions with student protesters and faculty in the next few days to stop tensions on campus.
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