At the end of the day, a Columbia University professor told FOX News Digital that the anti-Israel demonstrations unfolding on Ivy League campuses were no longer about the Jewish state or the Palestinians, but that “mob violence has brought our great university to a standstill.” “It’s about whether we can push them to the next level,” he said. . ”
Law professor Joshua Mitts spoke Tuesday after a group of agitators broke into Columbia University’s Hamilton Hall, smashing windows and using tables and chairs to barricade the door.
“If you have a group of students, it’s a really small group, and I doubt even the majority of protesters would support something like this. A small group dedicated to destroying property and shutting down campus life. This is a moment when we as faculty need to stand with the administration and say, “It’s time to restore order, it’s time to restore the calm academic environment that Columbia represents.” Mitts told FOX News Digital.
“If you’re worried about the repression of peaceful protesters, then what happened this morning should convince you that there are at least some groups out there who have no interest in peaceful protests. Is it possible?” he added.
Live updates: Universities crack down on anti-Israel agitators
Protesters gesture through the windows of Hamilton Hall after barricading themselves inside the Columbia University building early Tuesday morning. (Reuters/Caitlin Ochs)
Mitz is one of more than 2,000 Columbia alumni, faculty, staff, and student parents who have now signed a statement calling on President Minoush Shafik to crack down on anti-Semitism and restore safety.
“We understand that after the events of nearly two weeks ago, she may be restricted from calling the police due to resistance from faculty and staff,” Mitts said in a recent statement by the NYPD. he said, referring to the wave of arrests. “But at the end of the day, I think we have to ask ourselves, ‘Are we serving our students by allowing this kind of chaos and anarchy to spread on campus?’ It’s hard. “Maybe, but we have to grow and we have to restore order to our campus.”
Colombian anti-Israel mob reveals exactly its next target after taking over academic facility
Members of an anti-Israel mob invaded Hamilton Hall early Tuesday morning. (Alex Kent/Getty Images)
“At the end of the day, this is not really about Israel or Palestine, it’s about whether mob violence can bring our great universities to a standstill,” Mitz added.
“The anti-Semitism on campus is frightening,” Mitz told Fox News Digital. “The question I want to ask the protesters is, what is your goal really? “If it’s about helping people, let’s work together to achieve that goal.” ”
A maintenance worker who claimed to have been held hostage was confronted by protesters inside Hamilton Hall in New York City on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (Alex Kent/Getty Images)
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“It’s a painful moment in Columbia’s history for police to invade campus, but the alternative we are facing now is buildings occupied, windows smashed, and Jewish students fearing for their safety. “I’m afraid this is not a sustainable alternative for our community.”
