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    House Democrats Letter To Columbia

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    The Western Journal
    A group of members of Congress wrote a letter to the Trustees of Columbia University expressing disappointment that Columbia has not yet disbanded an unauthorized anti-Israel encampment on campus. The encampment has bred antisemitic attacks against Jewish students through hate speech, intimidation and threats of violence. The letter urges Columbia to disband the encampment to comply with Title VI and ensure student safety.

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    House Democrats Letter To Columbia

    Uploaded by

    The Western Journal
    5K views4 pages
    A group of members of Congress wrote a letter to the Trustees of Columbia University expressing disappointment that Columbia has not yet disbanded an unauthorized anti-Israel encampment on campus. The encampment has bred antisemitic attacks against Jewish students through hate speech, intimidation and threats of violence. The letter urges Columbia to disband the encampment to comply with Title VI and ensure student safety.

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    April 29, 2024

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    House Democrats Letter to Columbia

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    A group of members of Congress wrote a letter to the Trustees of Columbia University expressing disappointment that Columbia has not yet disbanded an unauthorized anti-Israel encampment on campus. The encampment has bred antisemitic attacks against Jewish students through hate speech, intimidation and threats of violence. The letter urges Columbia to disband the encampment to comply with Title VI and ensure student safety.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    5K views4 pages

    House Democrats Letter To Columbia

    Uploaded by

    The Western Journal
    A group of members of Congress wrote a letter to the Trustees of Columbia University expressing disappointment that Columbia has not yet disbanded an unauthorized anti-Israel encampment on campus. The encampment has bred antisemitic attacks against Jewish students through hate speech, intimidation and threats of violence. The letter urges Columbia to disband the encampment to comply with Title VI and ensure student safety.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 4

    April 29, 2024

    Columbia University in the City of New York


    The Trustees of Columbia University
    C/O Office of the Secretary
    211 Low Library
    535 West 116th Street
    New York, NY 10027

    To the Trustees of Columbia University:

    We, the undersigned, write to express our disappointment that, despite promises to do so,
    Columbia University has not yet disbanded the unauthorized and impermissible encampment of
    anti-Israel, anti-Jewish activists on campus. As a result of this disruption on campus, supported
    by some faculty members, many students have been prevented from safely attending class, the
    main library, and from leaving their dorm rooms in an apparent violation of Title VI of the Civil
    Rights Act.

    For the past week, this encampment has been the breeding ground for antisemitic attacks on
    Jewish students, including hate speech, harassment, intimidation, and even threats of violence.
    Last weekend, a student held up a sign pointing to pro-Israel students that said “Al-Qa[ss]am’s
    next targets,” referring to the military arm of Hamas, the foreign terrorist organization
    responsible for the atrocities of October 7, and for holding hostage innocent civilians – including
    Americans – in brutal captivity for nearly seven months.1 One of the protest leaders has
    previously declared, “Zionists — they are Nazis. They’re Nazis. They’re fascists. They’re
    supporters of genocide. Why would we want people who are supporters of genocide to live?” and
    students routinely chanted “from the river to the sea,” which is a cry to eliminate Israel and all
    Jews within its borders.2

    In response, the White House has rightly stated, “While every American has the right to peaceful
    protest, calls for violence and physical intimidation targeting Jewish students and the Jewish
    community are blatantly antisemitic, unconscionable, and dangerous – they have absolutely no
    place on any college campus, or anywhere in the United States of America.”3

    1
    Luis Ferré-sadurní, Colbi Edmonds & Liset Cruz, JEWISH STUDENTS ARE TARGETED AS PROTESTS CONTINUE AT
    COLUMBIA THE NEW YORK TIMES (2024), https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/21/nyregion/columbia-protests-
    antisemitism.html (last visited Apr 28, 2024).
    2
    TOI Staff and Agency, COLUMBIA PROTEST LEADER BANNED FROM CAMPUS FOR SAYING “ZIONISTS DON’T
    DESERVE TO LIVE” | THE TIMES OF ISRAEL TIMES OF ISRAEL (2024), https://www.timesofisrael.com/columbia-
    protest-leader-banned-from-campus-for-saying-zionists-dont-deserve-to-live/ (last visited Apr 28, 2024).
    3
    Id.
    Earlier this week, the Columbia administration tacitly acknowledged that the encampment had
    created an impermissibly hostile and unsafe environment for Jewish students by resorting to
    hybrid learning, appearing to violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. In other words, instead of
    solving the root cause of discrimination and harassment that students faced on campus, the
    administration decided to segregate some students from campus altogether, which naturally
    created an unsafe environment on campus for all students.

    The First Amendment guarantees freedom of speech and assembly, but not freedom to harass
    and intimidate other students. Academic institutions must ensure the safety and security of all of
    their students under Title VI. It is clear to us that the University has allowed
    the encampment to create an environment that appears to violate its legal obligations to
    protect all students from discrimination and harassment. As a result, many students who are
    paying for an education -- supported by the federal government – cannot safely attend class,
    enter the library, or leave their dorm rooms.

    We appreciate the Columbia administration’s efforts this week to negotiate in good faith to reach
    an agreement that allows those in the encampment to voluntarily disburse without police
    intervention. But, after nearly a week of negotiations, it is now abundantly clear that the students
    and activists entrenched on campus are unwilling to enter into a reasonable agreement to
    disband, which is necessary to bring the University into compliance with Title VI.

    Those who violate the law cannot dictate the terms of the University’s ability to comply with that
    law. It is past time for the University to act decisively, disband the encampment, and ensure the
    safety and security of all of its students.

    The time for negotiation is over; the time for action is now. It is ultimately the responsibility of
    the Board of Trustees to act. If any Trustees are unwilling to do this, they should resign so that
    they can be replaced by individuals who will uphold the University’s legal obligations under
    Title VI.
    Sincerely,

    Josh Gottheimer Dan Goldman


    Member of Congress Member of Congress
    Kathy Manning Jared Moskowitz
    Member of Congress Member of Congress

    Wiley Nickel Thomas R. Suozzi


    Member of Congress Member of Congress

    Debbie Wasserman Schultz Bradley Scott Schneider


    Member of Congress Member of Congress

    Haley M. Stevens Ritchie Torres


    Member of Congress Member of Congress

    Chris Pappas Lois Frankel


    Member of Congress Member of Congress
    Steny H. Hoyer Henry Cuellar
    Member of Congress Member of Congress

    Greg Landsman Robert J. Menendez


    Member of Congress Member of Congress

    Marc A. Veasey Darren Soto


    Member of Congress Member of Congress

    Donald Norcross Adam B. Schiff


    Member of Congress Member of Congress

    Dean Phillips
    Member of Congress

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