Columbia University sparked nationwide protests over the war in Gaza and the demonstrations have further exposed a political divide over support for Israel. The elite university has now issued an ultimatum to student demonstrators on campus.
The University said in a statement they would not divest from Israel as talks with protestors broke down. Embattled President Minouche Shafik said the school’s encampment created an “unwelcoming environment” for many Jewish students and faculty.
Protestors were told to clear out or face suspension, but many stayed past the 2 p.m. deadline. At the University of Texas, more demonstrators clashed with police in Austin.
Campus chaos could give way to Capitol chaos. The protests and war have also divided some in the Democratic party.
“Antisemitism exists and is growing in the United States and exists among some in the protest movement, of course. But here is the reality – what Netanyahu’s right-wing, extremist, and racist government is doing is unprecedented in the modern history of warfare,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., on CNN’s State of the Union.
More moderate members of the party have stood with America’s ally in the Middle East.
“It’s very clear that there is a very germ of antisemitism in all of these protests, and sometimes it flares up,” said Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn., on NewsNation’s “The Hill Sunday.”
The divide widening as the campus protests continue in the background. Some Republican lawmakers have also floated the idea of pulling some of the university funding for schools that allow protests to go on.
“They have a responsibility to protect their students, they’re not doing so, so why would we continue to allow federal funding to go to schools that tolerate this,” said Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., who sits on the House Education and Labor Committee.
Columbia has also started facing bipartisan pressure. Following repeated calls from Republicans to break up the protests, 21 Democrats signed off on a letter this past weekend calling for trustees to resign if the protest encampment wasn’t disbanded.