Print Print    Close Close

AOC calls Columbia protests 'peaceful', despite rabbi warning Jewish students to stay home

By Stepheny Price

Published April 22, 2024

Fox News
Jewish Columbia student: It's a 'madhouse on campus' Video

During an Earth Day news conference, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., switched gears and called the student-led protests happening across college campuses across the country "peaceful."

"Today also serves as a reminder of the power of organizing, of what we can accomplish [when] young people, climate advocates, labor organizers and working people of all backgrounds come together to demand the future. We all deserve. It is especially important that we remember the power of young people shaping the country today," Ocasio-Cortez said.

"Of all days as we one once again witness the leadership of those peaceful student-led protests on campuses like Columbia, Yale, Berkeley and many others," Ocasio-Cortez continued.

Her message comes as the Orthodox rabbi at Columbia University and Barnard College sent a message recommending Jewish students leave campus and go home as anti-Israel agitators have continued an "encampment" on campus and participants were caught on camera sympathizing with the terrorist group Hamas.

COLUMBIA RABBI TELLS JEWISH STUDENTS TO LEAVE CAMPUS, WARNS THAT SCHOOL, NYPD 'CANNOT GUARANTEE YOUR SAFETY'

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.

During a Earth Day press conference, AOC said that the protests at Columbia University were "peacefu;."  (Fox News)

"The events of the last few days, especially last night, have made it clear that Columbia University’s Public Safety and the NYPD cannot guarantee Jewish students’ safety in the face of extreme antisemitism and anarchy," Buechler wrote. "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." 

Shai Davidai, a Jewish professor at Columbia who went viral in October for calling out the school’s inaction on antisemitism, demanded that the National Guard be brought in if the NYPD cannot take action. 

"This is a hostile takeover of the university," he added. "It's a showdown of support for Hamas on one hand and Western civilization on the other hand. … The showdown is happening on Columbia's campus."

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTERS: 5 DRAMATIC MOMENTS FROM A WEEK OF CHAOS

NYPD officers patrol as pro-Palestine protestors demonstrate outside of Columbia University’s campus

NYPD officers patrol as pro-Palestine protestors demonstrate outside of Columbia University’s campus in New York City on Thursday, April 18, 2024. Multiple students were arrested as officers cleared an encampment on the campus’ lawn. (Peter Gerber for Fox News Digital)

Davidai said the demonstrations at Columbia "have never been about human rights."

"From the very first moment, these protests were about justifying rape as a means to a goal," he said, referencing the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack. "That is not about human rights."

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Columbia University is one of many Ivy League schools, as well as other universities, experiencing a mass chaos of anti-Israel agitators taking over campuses. 

Fox News' Danielle Wallace contributed to this report. 

Stepheny Price is a Writer at Fox News with a focus on West Coast and Midwest news, missing persons, national and international crime stories, homicide cases, and border security.

Print Print    Close Close

URL

https://www.foxnews.com/us/aoc-calls-columbia-protests-peaceful-despite-rabbi-warning-jewish-students-stay-home

  • Home
  • Video
  • Politics
  • U.S.
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment
  • Tech
  • Science
  • Health
  • Travel
  • Lifestyle
  • World
  • Sports
  • Weather
  • Privacy
  • Terms

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. © FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. Do Not Sell my Personal Information - New Terms of Use - FAQ