After anti-Israel agitators successfully staged a multi-day “encampment” at Columbia University in New York City, students at other elite schools across the country began their own marches and sit-ins.
While some Democrats have sought to describe these protests as “mostly peaceful,” the participants have been accused of hateful, anti-Semitic protests calling for the death of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and those who support Israel. Often repeats phrases.
“We are Hamas!” demonstrators could be heard shouting, referring to the terrorist group responsible for the deadliest terrorist attack in Israel’s history. “Netanyahu, Netanyahu… You cannot hide. We charge you with genocide.” The same chant echoed along with President Biden’s name.
The national movement continues to gain momentum and is spreading to other schools. Similar anti-Israel demonstrations have taken place at Columbia University, Yale University, MIT, the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Southern California, Princeton University, Harvard University, Stanford University, Northwestern University, Vanderbilt University, the University of Michigan, the University of North Carolina, and the University of Virginia. It has been witnessed.
Anti-Israel campus protesters make demands on administrators, vowing to stop action until university responds
Anti-Israel students occupied the central lawn of Columbia University’s campus in New York City for a week. “We are Hamas!” some students shouted. (Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images)
Participants at Columbia University and other schools were heard shouting:
“No more money for Israeli crimes.”
“We will liberate Palestine in our lifetime.”
“Say it loud and clear…Liberation is here.”
“Free, Free Palestine.”
“From the sea to the rivers, Palestine will live forever.”
“Colombia, you see, all of our people will be free.”
“Defiance is the right thing to do…The NYPD could go to hell.”
“It is right to rebel…Israel may go to hell.”
“Intifada Revolution… There is only one solution!”
Demonstrations at Columbia University, seen as the epicenter of the current movement, were so tense that Columbia University President Minoush Shafik warned students that all in-person classes would be virtual until the end of the semester.
Shafik and school officials are clearing the campus and negotiating with anti-Israel groups to confirm that the demonstrators are actually Columbia University students.
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These students and those at other elite universities are demanding that their respective schools end their dealings with the U.S. Department of Defense, which funds Israel and the Jewish state. Specific demands vary by campus, but generally include that schools cease doing business with military weapons manufacturers that supply weapons to Israel, and that funds that benefit from Israeli companies and contractors. These include divesting university endowments from administrators.
Anti-Israel activists protest in front of Columbia University in New York City on April 20, 2024. Students at the university and other elite universities are demanding that their schools stop doing business with Israel. (Leonardo Munoz/AFP via Getty Images)
After mass arrests by New York City police on April 19, 2024, anti-Israel students formed the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” and participated in hate chants. (Selcuk Achar/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Holocaust survivor Tovah Friedman told “Fox & Friends” on Tuesday that she was “terrified” of America by the “hate” spewed by such mobs.
“It’s like cancer. If you don’t stop it early, it will metastasize. It will destroy your body. It will kill our country,” she told Fox News on Tuesday.
Columbia University moves to hybrid learning on main campus amid anti-Semitic protests
She added: “When I came to America at 11 and a half years old, it was like coming to the promised land and it was such an amazing experience. And that’s where I am today. I’m shocked, I’m in pain, I’m scared.” he added. I’m scared for America, it’s scary for Jews, and it’s very painful for our young people. ”
Holocaust survivor Tovah Friedman told “Fox & Friends” on Tuesday that she was “terrified” of America by the “hate” spewed by the rioters. (Charlie Tribaleu/AFP via Getty Images)
Friedman also made grim predictions about what these demonstrations could become if school administrators allow them to expand.
Auschwitz survivor warns that anti-Semitism is a ‘cancer’ spreading across America: ‘It will destroy our country’
“If this isn’t contained, if they don’t think about it, what will the end result be? What is the end result of hatred and bigotry? It’s death to someone. It could be death to themselves. Hmm. I couldn’t stop Hitler like I did on Kristallnacht, but no one could, so I was sent to Auschwitz and 1.5 million Jewish children were sent to the gas chambers. ” she said.
“Such actions, anger and hatred only lead to tragedy,” she said. “It’s a tragedy for everyone. Not just a tragedy for the Jews, but God forbid a tragedy for the Jews themselves, because that would be a terrible conflict. We have to find a way to stop it. not.”
Franklin Graham, Christian evangelist and son of the late Billy Graham, expressed similar sentiments on social media.
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“I agree,” he wrote in a Facebook post. “When Tovah came out of Auschwitz as a child, she thought she would never experience that kind of anti-Semitic hatred again. But now it’s before our eyes. We need to wake up to the danger of fetid hatred. Tovah is right. It is like a cancer, and if we don’t stop it early, it will kill us.”
During ongoing negotiations with Colombian authorities late Tuesday evening, students said they would stop using hateful language in their chants. The students are protesting the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which has reportedly left tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians dead.
FOX News’ Taylor Penley contributed to this report.
