A group of 21 Democratic members of the US House of Representatives have jointly written a letter to the board of trustees at Columbia University, urging them to take “decisive action” to end the pro-Palestinian protest encampment on campus or face resignations.
Led by Federal Representatives Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey and Dan Goldman of New York, these Democratic lawmakers penned the letter to the Columbia University board of trustees, calling for an end to the nationally-publicized protest activities.
In the letter, the Democratic representatives wrote: “We—the undersigned—are writing to express our disappointment that despite Columbia University’s commitment to disband unauthorized and non-permitted encampment activities by anti-Israel and anti-Jewish radicals on campus, it has failed to do so.”
“With the support of some faculty members, the chaos on campus has prevented many students from safely attending classes, going to the library, or leaving their dormitories, clearly violating the provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act,” the lawmakers wrote.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin in federally funded programs, as well as racial segregation and employment discrimination in schools and public spaces.
Regarding the anti-Israel protest activities on the Columbia University campus, the 21 Democratic lawmakers stated: “The First Amendment guarantees freedom of speech and assembly, but it does not protect the freedom to harass and intimidate other students.”
The lawmakers further pointed out: “It is clear to us that the university’s allowance of these encampment activities creates an environment that appears to violate the school’s legal obligation to protect all students from discrimination and harassment.”
Earlier this month, a group of pro-Palestinian students at Columbia University began camping on campus, putting this Ivy League institution located in Manhattan at the center of national attention. A few days later, the university requested the New York City Police Department to respond to protesters who refused to leave the encampment, resulting in the arrest of hundreds of students. However, the protesters soon resumed camping on campus with the support of some leftist faculty members.
The Columbia University administration has been attempting to negotiate with the organizers of the encampment activities, but as of Monday, no agreement had been reached on dismantling these camps.
Earlier on Monday, after Columbia University President Minouche Shafik acknowledged the failure of negotiations, the university issued a final ultimatum requiring protesters to vacate the encampment by 2 p.m. that day, threatening academic penalties and further investigation if they fail to comply.