Dozens arrested as White House lashes anti-Semitism on campus
Arrests follow days of tension at Columbia University, where classes were cancelled on Monday.
Dozens were arrested at a pro-Palestinian protest at Yale University hours after the White House condemned “blatant anti-Semitism” during widespread demonstrations on college campuses.
At least 47 trespassing arrests were made on Monday at the Yale campus in New Haven, Connecticut. Police in riot gear had moved in on the encampment at Beinecke Plaza after demonstrators ignored orders to disperse the night before. More than 200 were still blocking an intersection near the plaza.
Tensions at elite universities have been high since the October 7 terrorist attacks on Israel, which prompted a war that has led to the death of at least 34,000 Palestinians. Student protesters are calling for an immediate ceasefire and some have accused Israel of genocide. They have also called for universities to divest from Israel.
The White House said: “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. And echoing the rhetoric of terrorist organisations, especially in the wake of the worst massacre committed against the Jewish people since the Holocaust, is despicable.”
In a separate statement marking the Jewish Passover holiday, President Joe Biden said: “Even in recent days, we’ve seen harassment and calls for violence against Jews. This blatant antisemitism is reprehensible and dangerous – and it has absolutely no place on college campuses, or anywhere in our country.”
At Columbia university in New York City, protests began last Wednesday and more than 100 students have been arrested. Classes were cancelled on Monday and Minouche Shafik, the university president, said the school “needed a reset”.
“I understand that many are experiencing deep moral distress and want Columbia to help alleviate this by taking action,” she said.
Anti-Israel demonstrators set up an encampment at the Ivy League college’s Manhattan campus when Baroness Shafik testified before congress on the institution’s handling of anti-Semitism. The protests persisted over the weekend and videos of violent encounters circulated online.
On Monday morning the campus was closed to anyone without a university ID. Few tents remained. New York Governor Kathy Hochul visited the campus to meet students. At least two pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested later in the day.
A rabbi connected to Columbia warned that Jewish students should leave campus for fear that their safety could not be guaranteed. Rabbi Elie Buechler, who works with an Orthodox Jewish group at the university, told about 300 mostly Orthodox students he “strongly” recommended they flee, according to CNN.
Recent events at Columbia, the rabbi said, “have made it clear that Columbia University Public Safety and the NYPD cannot guarantee Jewish students’ safety”.
“It deeply pains me to say that I would strongly recommend you return home as soon as possible and remain home until the reality in and around campus has dramatically improved,” he said.
Signs at the protests included “Zionism is Evil”, while Jewish students were verbally abused on Saturday night, according to the New York Post.
“People were yelling at Hamas to strike Tel Aviv,” a student said. Another Jewish student alleged that they were chased up the street by a pro-Palestinian group days ago.
Elise Stefanik, the fourth-ranking Republican in the House of Representatives, who questioned Baroness Shafik last week, called on the school’s president to resign, saying she had lost control of the campus.
“It is crystal clear that Columbia University – previously a beacon of academic excellence founded by Alexander Hamilton – needs new leadership. President Shafik must immediately resign,” Ms Stefanik said.
On Sunday 54 professors at Columbia Law School signed a letter condemning campus leadership for the arrest and suspension of dozens of students last week. “While we as a faculty disagree about the relevant political issues and express no opinion on the merits of the protest, we are writing to urge respect for basic rule-of-law values that ought to govern our university,” the letter said.
New York City mayor Eric Adams said he was horrified by the unrest at Columbia. “We will not be a city of lawlessness, and those professional agitators seeking to seize the ongoing conflict in the Middle East to sow chaos and division will not succeed,” he said.
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