October 15, 2024
By Fern Sidman
Two prominent Republican lawmakers are urging the FBI to take immediate action to protect Jewish students from escalating threats at Columbia University, where a coalition of anti-Israel student groups has called for armed resistance and violence. As reported by The New York Post, Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and House GOP Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) have issued a forceful letter to the FBI, citing explicit calls for violence made by members of the Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) group.
The letter, obtained by The Post, highlights alarming statements made by CUAD members, including chilling remarks like “Zionists don’t deserve to live” and “Be grateful that I’m not just going out and murdering Zionists.” These disturbing declarations prompted Ernst and Stefanik to demand immediate intervention from the FBI, warning that the agency has more than enough evidence to warrant an investigation. The lawmakers argue that waiting for a tragedy would be inexcusable. As The Post quotes, Ernst and Stefanik wrote, “This cannot become another instance in which a terrible case of violence takes place at a school and the FBI issues a statement after the fact that the perpetrators were ‘on its radar,’ but [it] did nothing.”
Two prominent Republican lawmakers are urging the FBI to take immediate action to protect Jewish students from escalating threats at Columbia University, where a coalition of anti-Israel student groups has called for armed resistance and violence. As reported by The New York Post, Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and House GOP Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) have issued a forceful letter to the FBI, citing explicit calls for violence made by members of the Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) group.
The letter, obtained by The Post, highlights alarming statements made by CUAD members, including chilling remarks like “Zionists don’t deserve to live” and “Be grateful that I’m not just going out and murdering Zionists.” These disturbing declarations prompted Ernst and Stefanik to demand immediate intervention from the FBI, warning that the agency has more than enough evidence to warrant an investigation. The lawmakers argue that waiting for a tragedy would be inexcusable. As The Post quotes, Ernst and Stefanik wrote, “This cannot become another instance in which a terrible case of violence takes place at a school and the FBI issues a statement after the fact that the perpetrators were ‘on its radar,’ but [it] did nothing.”
Two prominent Republican lawmakers are urging the FBI to take immediate action to protect Jewish students from escalating threats at Columbia University, where a coalition of anti-Israel student groups has called for armed resistance and violence. As reported by The New York Post, Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and House GOP Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) have issued a forceful letter to the FBI, citing explicit calls for violence made by members of the Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) group.
The letter, obtained by The Post, highlights alarming statements made by CUAD members, including chilling remarks like “Zionists don’t deserve to live” and “Be grateful that I’m not just going out and murdering Zionists.” These disturbing declarations prompted Ernst and Stefanik to demand immediate intervention from the FBI, warning that the agency has more than enough evidence to warrant an investigation. The lawmakers argue that waiting for a tragedy would be inexcusable. As The Post quotes, Ernst and Stefanik wrote, “This cannot become another instance in which a terrible case of violence takes place at a school and the FBI issues a statement after the fact that the perpetrators were ‘on its radar,’ but [it] did nothing.”
Ernst and Stefanik have specifically called out CUAD for its role in last spring’s anti-Israel protests, which culminated in a violent takeover of Columbia’s Hamilton Hall. The New York Post report revealed that during the protests, campus Rabbi Elie Buechler advised Jewish students to flee the scene, warning that the university could not guarantee their safety in the face of rising anti-Semitism and anarchic behavior. The chaos led to Columbia switching to hybrid learning for the remainder of the semester, as tensions continued to rise. Despite the NYPD’s intervention, which resulted in the arrest of multiple anti-Israel demonstrators, the university has struggled to regain control of the situation. Columbia’s president at the time, Minouche Shafik, resigned on August 14 amid the fallout from the protests, as The New York Post report indicated.
In their letter, Ernst and Stefanik argue that federal intervention is now a necessity, given the university’s inability to manage the threat on its own. The New York Post reported that the lawmakers highlighted Columbia’s failure to police its own campus, requiring NYPD intervention in the past, as a sign that the situation is beyond the university’s control. “In light of the considerable violence occurring for which this group is already responsible, and Columbia University’s inability and unwillingness to police its own campus necessitating it to request the NYPD intervene, federal intervention is now necessary,” they wrote.
The lawmakers also stressed the unprecedented nature of this situation, in which potential perpetrators of violence are broadcasting their intent publicly. As The New York Post report emphasized, Ernst and Stefanik wrote, “It’s rare for potential perpetrators of violence, particularly school-based violence, to widely and publicly broadcast their intent in such a way as it becomes national news. But that’s exactly what the Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), a coalition of student groups, did.”
Stefanik had long advocated for Shafik’s resignation, as she questioned several Ivy League presidents, including Shafik, during a congressional hearing last year. The resignation in August came as no surprise, given the mounting criticism of the administration’s handling of campus unrest. Columbia has maintained that it condemns violence, with a spokesperson previously telling The New York Post, “Statements advocating for violence or harm are antithetical to the core principles upon which this institution was founded. Calls for violence have no place at Columbia or any university.”
Despite these assurances, the reality on the ground paints a different picture. Jewish students continue to face threats of violence from groups such as CUAD, which remains active on campus. The rhetoric has only intensified, with calls for armed resistance and the celebration of violent attacks. According to The New York Post, the ongoing unrest has left the Columbia administration struggling to balance free speech with the safety of its students, particularly those who are Jewish or support Israel.
The calls for FBI intervention underscore the severity of the situation. The New York Post has detailed how CUAD’s increasingly hostile rhetoric, coupled with Columbia’s inability to control the protests, has created an environment of fear and insecurity for Jewish students. With tensions showing no sign of easing, Ernst and Stefanik’s demand for federal action is likely to continue resonating as the university grapples with how to handle the growing threat of violence on its campus.
The New York Post has shed light on a disturbing and dangerous trend at Columbia University, where anti-Israel sentiment has escalated into open calls for violence. Lawmakers are now pressuring federal authorities to step in, as the university appears unable to safeguard its students. The resignation of President Shafik and the NYPD’s previous involvement highlight the deepening crisis at Columbia, one that continues to reverberate beyond the campus and into the national conversation on anti-Semitism and campus safety.
