Columbia University threatened Tuesday to expel the students who have taken over an academic building, raising the stakes on the spiraling anti-Israel protests that have brought the Ivy League campus to a standstill.
The announcement came shortly after Columbia shutdown its main Morningside campus to everyone but students living in the dorms and essential personnel as university officials struggled to restore order in the face of the swelling left-wing protests.
“Protesters have chosen to escalate to an untenable situation — vandalizing property, breaking doors and windows, and blockading entrances — and we are following through with the consequences we outlined yesterday,” said university spokesperson Ben Chang. “Students occupying the building face expulsion,” he said.
His warning came after dozens of protesters broke overnight into Hamilton Hall by smashing windows; erected barricades by moving furniture in front of entrances; zip-tied doors; and draped a pro-Palestinian “Hind’s Hall” banner above the building’s entrance.
Despite Columbia‘s warning, the occupiers appear to be preparing for the long haul.
A spokesperson for the protesters said that the college is “obligated” to provide food for those on the meal plan. She also called for Columbia to allow food and water to be brought to the students illegally holding the building.
“Do you want students to die of dehydration or starvation, or get severely ill if they disagree with you?” she told reporters, adding that “this is like basic humanitarian aid we’re asking for — like, could people please have a glass of water?”
UNREAL: Columbia protest leader demands administration bring food to rioters who broke into Hamilton Hall
“Do you want students to die of dehydration and starvation?”
REPORTER: “It seems like you’re saying, ‘we want to be revolutionaries, we want to take over this building, now… pic.twitter.com/KTdEpL0rVM
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) April 30, 2024
The ongoing chaos at Columbia and other colleges prompted House Republicans to call once again on Columbia President Minouche Shafik to bring order to the campus and protect Jewish students, or resign.
“Last night at Columbia, America watched in disgust as President Shafik allowed an antisemitic pro-terrorist mob to storm and seize an academic building, holding faculty inside, flying pro-Hamas signs, and damaging property,” said Rep. Elise Stefanik, New York Republican, at a Tuesday press conference on Capitol Hill.
She said university leaders have allowed “this moral rot of antisemitism to fester,” adding that “it’s not just Columbia. This is a moral rot that has taken root across American higher education institutions.”
President Biden has not specifically addressed the rising unrest at Columbia, but White House spokesperson Andrew Bates condemned Tuesday the lawlessness and antisemitism erupting on college campuses.
“President Biden respects the right to free expression, but protests must be peaceful and lawful,” Mr. Bates said. “Forcibly taking over buildings is not peaceful — it is wrong. And hate speech and hate symbols have no place in America.”
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said his department has launched a probe into Columbia, 1 of 137 open investigations into violations into Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars discrimination based on race, color and national origin, including Jewish identity.
He said the “antisemitism we’ve seen on campuses is unacceptable,” warning that universities failing to address the situation risk the loss of federal funding.
Mr. Chang said that student protesters were asked to leave the encampment peacefully and sign a commitment to follow university policies, but that those “who did not commit to the terms we offered are now being suspended.”
“Those students will be restricted from all academic and recreational spaces and may only access their individual residence. Seniors will be ineligible to graduate,” he said. “This is about responding to the actions of the protesters, not their cause.”
Columbia University Apartheid Divest said the protesters would remain in the building until university leaders agree to its three demands: divestment from Israel; financial transparency on direct and indirect holdings; and amnesty for all student protesters.
“We call on the press and members of the public to hold Columbia accountable for any disproportionate response to students’ actions today,” said the statement posted on X by Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine.
“To Columbia’s administrators and trustees: Do not incite another Kent or Jackson State by bringing soldiers and police officers with weapons onto our campus. Students’ blood will be on your hands,” the group added.
Columbia called in the New York Police Department on April 18 to clear out the encampment, which saw officers arrest more than 100 students on trespassing charges. Afterward, however, the tent city reemerged bigger than ever.
Negotiations between the university and student activists to dismantle the camp broke down Monday, prompting Ms. Shafik to urge students to “voluntarily disperse.” Hours later, the university said it began suspending students.
The university has previously said it will not bring back in police despite calls from lawmakers like Sen. Josh Hawley, Missouri Republican, to mobilize the National Guard.
House Republicans said they would continue to hold universities accountable for restoring order, addressing antisemitism, and keeping Jewish students safe.
“Many of these universities have long and storied reputations that are being tarnished, many of them permanently,” said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise at the press conference. “Parents won’t even send their kids to these schools anymore because their kids are no longer safe.”
• Jeff Mordock and Stephen Dinan contributed to this report.