Latest news with #Pro-hamas
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Students heckle Columbia acting president at graduation, shout 'Free Mahmoud'
Students interrupted Columbia University's graduation ceremony in New York City on Tuesday morning by heckling Acting University President Claire Shipman and shouting, "Free Mahmoud!" Shipman was immediately met with boos when she stepped up to the podium to speak during the Columbia College Class Day ceremony. The crowd continued to heckle Shipman as she spoke about the class facing more trials and hardships than it deserved while proving that it can adapt as things shift quickly. "You've proven that you can adapt as things shift quickly… that you are uncommonly resilient… and that you care profoundly about the world and the people in it," she said, having to restart her sentence several times. Columbia Students Describe 'Shocking' Library Takeover After Masked Protesters Chanted Pro-hamas Slogans Shipman told the students they are all classmates and have formed deep friendships and wonderful relationships. She also pointed out that many of the students have had their differences with one another, but also with Shipman herself. Read On The Fox News App "But at every turn… I'm hearing more and more stories of deep empathy across divides," she said. But as Shipman continued to make her point that the work of the student class' generation will be to define and shape the values of what she eventually called "these interesting times," she was interrupted yet again. The students began to shout, "Free Mahmoud," referring to the accused ringleader of pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia, Mahmoud Khalil. The chants continued for nearly 30 seconds. Columbia's Acting President Slams Storming Of Campus Library By Anti-israel Agitators: 'Utterly Unacceptable' Shipman stood there and continued to look out at the crowd, while appearing to hold back any ounce of emotion to give the agitators a feeling of accomplishment. Still, once the agitators calmed down, the acting president was able to get through her final points. "The work of your generation will be to define… and shape these interesting times… to define the value and the direction of this century," she said. "It will also be to rebuild trust by reaching out and creating common ground… so that others will follow." Columbia Grads Shred Diplomas Over Mahmoud Khalil Arrest: 'We Are Enraged' Earlier this month, Shipman denounced the occupation of the campus library after more than 100 anti-Israel agitators stormed the building, resulting in dozens of arrests and two university officers getting injured. She issued a statement at the time to the campus community, addressing the hours-long incident at Butler Library, which she described as "utterly unacceptable." A mob of protesters showed up at the library as students were studying for finals, reportedly to rally support for Khalil. They also continued to demand the university divest from Israel. Columbia Students Confront Anti-israel Protesters Who Stormed Classroom With Antisemitic Flyers Columbia's acting president said at the time that she went to the library "as the events were unfolding" and was disappointed with what she saw, including one Columbia public safety officer being wheeled out on a gurney and another being treated for injuries. Shipman also said the reading room at the library was "defaced and damaged in disturbing ways and with disturbing slogans." "Violence and vandalism, hijacking a library—none of that has any place on our campus. These aren't Columbia's values," she said. Shipman, who took over in March following the resignation of the former president and the stepping down of the subsequent interim president, said this behavior will not be tolerated at Columbia. Tuesday's heckling also comes a day after Columbia student Mohsen Mahdawi was allowed to walk across a graduation stage and receive his degree from the Ivy League school. The 34-year-old activist, draped in a keffiyeh, smiled as he took the stage. Court documents show Mahdawi was investigated twice in 2015 and 2016 for disturbing and antisemitic comments. In the documents, police allege that Mahdawi told a man, "I like to kill Jews." In another incident, police allege he said he "used to build modified 9mm submachine guns to kill Jews while he was in Palestine." Fox News Digital's Elizabeth Pritchett contributed to this article source: Students heckle Columbia acting president at graduation, shout 'Free Mahmoud'
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
State Department revokes first visa of foreign student linked to 'Hamas-supporting disruptions'
The State Department has revoked the visa of a student who participated in protesting in favor of Hamas, a move in line with President Donald Trump's call for canceling visas of students involved in the anti-Israel demonstrations on college campuses. The State Department confirmed the matter with Fox News, without identifying the student or what university they attended due to "legal constraints." "Yesterday evening, we revoked the first visa of an alien who was previously cited for criminal behavior in connection with Hamas-supporting disruptions," the State Department said. "This individual was a university student. ICE will proceed with removing this person from the country." Barnard Student Demands Action After Pro-hamas Protest Turns Violent, Calls Out School's 'Pathetic' Response The State Department reviewed over 100,000 student visas and none were revoked during the Biden administration, despite all the anti-Israel protests and disruptions on college campuses. Trump has repeatedly called for foreign students attending American universities to have their visas revoked for supporting Hamas and other terror groups. Read On The Fox News App Upon taking office in January, he signed an executive order to combat antisemitism. Columbia Professor Slams University Leadership As Anti-israel Agitators Wreak Havoc At Barnard "To all the resident aliens who joined in the pro-jihadist protests, we put you on notice: come 2025, we will find you, and we will deport you," Trump is quoted in a fact sheet issued by the White House. "I will also quickly cancel the student visas of all Hamas sympathizers on college campuses, which have been infested with radicalism like never before." U.S. college campuses have been a hotbed for anti-Israel protests and disruptions, including vandalism, threats against Jewish students and violence against law enforcement. "The Biden Administration turned a blind eye to this coordinated assault on public order; it simply refused to protect the civil rights of Jewish Americans, especially students," the fact sheet states. "According to a December 2024 U.S. House of Representatives Staff Report on anti-Semitism, 'the failure of our federal government departments and agencies is astounding.'" On Thursday, Axios reported that Secretary of State Marco Rubio is launching an AI-fueled "Catch and Revoke" effort to cancel the visas of foreign students who appear to support designated terror groups. "Those who support designated terrorist organizations, including Hamas, threaten our national security," he wrote on X. "The United States has zero tolerance for foreign visitors who support terrorists. Violators of U.S. law — including international students — face visa denial or revocation, and deportation."Original article source: State Department revokes first visa of foreign student linked to 'Hamas-supporting disruptions'
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Columbia professor slams university leadership as anti-Israel agitators wreak havoc at Barnard
Anti-Israel protests broke out at Barnard College last week, and Columbia associate professor Shai Davidai is calling out students and faculty members. "These protests that we saw two days ago, the violent taking over of a hall at Barnard, it's one of the same protests that started on Oct. 12, 2023," Davidai told Fox News Digital. "Hate doesn't go away on its own. Extremism doesn't go away on its own. If you don't deal with it, it stays around." The most recent protests were in response to the expulsion of two students who allegedly barged into a Columbia University classroom in January and threw flyers filled with hateful and antisemitic rhetoric. Barnard Student Demands Action After Pro-hamas Protest Turns Violent, Calls Out School's 'Pathetic' Response The professor teaching the course, Avi Shilon, told the Times of Israel that he invited the protesters to join the class, but they refused and continued shouting instead. Following the Barnard students' expulsion, more than 50 anti-Israel agitators took over a building on Barnard's campus, echoing last year's takeover of Hamilton Hall at Columbia University. Read On The Fox News App When speaking to Fox News Digital, Davidai alleged that while the protests were physically taking place at Barnard, they were organized by a Columbia-sanctioned and funded organization. However, Columbia University disputes this claim and says the group was not university-sanctioned. "This is the consequence of 20 years of indoctrination," Davidai told Fox News Digital. "We have indoctrinated students and they are not the problem. The problem has always been the professors who have been indoctrinating them." However, Davidai says he has heard from Jewish and non-Jewish students alike that they are fed up with the protests. "They see no accountability, and they're just sick of it," Davidai said. "I got emails from parents saying, 'What are we paying $90,000 for? So, then Barnard can go and clean up the mess of the students who got to walk scot-free?' It doesn't make any sense." Anti-israel Protesters Allegedly Assault Employee During Building Takeover At Barnard College In New York City Davidai says he has tried to engage with other faculty on the issues, but that in one case, a student intervened and pulled the other faculty member out of the conversation. He says there are "radical students" who are telling faculty "what to do and what to say." In addition to the faculty, Davidai sees a problem with Columbia's leadership. He says that former Columbia University President Minouche Shafik "did not know what she was going into" and "was a coward." He places heavier blame on Interim President Katrina Armstrong, who he says is "incompetent." Davidai does not think all hope is lost for Columbia and believes there is a way for the university to turn things around. "You kick out the indoctrinaters, you kick out the professors [who] openly support Hamas and other U.S.-designated terror organizations. You kick out the students that blatantly support massacres of Jews and Israelis, and you make room for professors who want to teach and for students who want to learn." Barnard College did not immediately responded to Fox News Digital's requests for comment. Barnard College and Columbia University have a storied history. Initially, Columbia was an all-male university and Barnard, an all-female school, became part of the Columbia system in 1900. The two still share academic resources and both institutions have classes that are available to Columbia and Barnard students. On Feb. 26, Columbia tweeted out a statement saying that "the disruption of academic activities is not acceptable conduct." Immediately following the class disruption in January, interim President Armstrong condemned the incident in a statement, saying that the agitators' actions went against the university's rules. Additionally, Columbia suspended an alleged participant with ties to the university and launched an investigation. Barnard President Laura Ann Rosenbury published an op-ed on the situation on Monday in the Chronicle of Higher Education entitled, "When Student Protest Goes Too Far." "This disruption was not designed to expand thinking or advance civil discourse. Instead, it was a calculated act of intimidation, with the disruptors taunting and loudly speaking over the professor, distributing antisemitic flyers, and refusing to join the discussion even when the professor graciously invited them to sit in on the class," Rosenbury writes. She went on to say the protesters actions were "utterly at odds with our mission."Original article source: Columbia professor slams university leadership as anti-Israel agitators wreak havoc at Barnard
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump claims American campus 'agitators' will be permanently expelled for 'illegal' protests
President Donald Trump claimed on Tuesday that "agitators" on U.S. college campuses will be permanently expelled from school or even "imprisoned." Trump made the claim in a post on his Truth Social platform, adding that any education institution that "allows illegal protests" on its campus will no longer receive federal funding. "All Federal Funding will STOP for any College, School, or University that allows illegal protests," Trump wrote. "Agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came. American students will be permanently expelled or, depending on on the crime, arrested. NO MASKS! Thank you for your attention to this matter." Trump did not detail any specifics about how the federal government could expel or force universities to expel students. Barnard Student Demands Action After Pro-hamas Protest Turns Violent, Calls Out School's 'Pathetic' Response The post comes as anti-Israel protests have popped up throughout the U.S. and on its university campuses amid Israel's war in Gaza following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led terrorist attacks, which killed around 1,200 people. Read On The Fox News App Multiple students at Barnard College in New York City have faced disciplinary action in recent days for breaking into Hamilton Hall on Columbia University's campus last year. Barnard, which is part of Columbia University's education system and is located next to Columbia's main campus, expelled one student and suspended the other, according to the Columbia University Apartheid Divest group. Anti-israel Protesters At Barnard College Arrested After Mob Turns Violent Barnard also recently expelled two other students for disrupting a class on the History of Modern Israel. The duo were wearing headscarves to hide their faces when students say they ran into the classroom and threw antisemitic pamphlets around the room. The school says they cannot comment on the disciplinary action but a statement from the school's president reads in part, "…at Barnard we always do what is right, not what is easy." Jewish students at Barnard have called out the school for lacking urgency in its response to the incidents. Click To Get The Fox News App "The university condemned the incident," Barnard freshman Shoshana Aufzien said Friday on "America's Newsroom." "I thought their words were a little lackluster. I'm not looking for lip service. I want action." Fox News' Alexis McAdams and Madison Colombo contributed to this article source: Trump claims American campus 'agitators' will be permanently expelled for 'illegal' protests
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Judge calls out university for making Jewish students hide in a 'proverbial attic,' allows lawsuit to proceed
A New York judge called out a university in New York for its lack of action amid increasing antisemitism while denying its motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by Jewish students. The judge said that Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, a small private four-year college located in Lower Manhattan, must face charges for neglecting to help Jewish students who had to lock themselves in a library during an anti-Israel rally on Oct. 25, 2023. "Title VI places responsibility on colleges and universities to protect their Jewish students from harassment, not on those students to hide themselves away in a proverbial attic or attempt to escape from a place they have a right to be," US District Judge John Cronan wrote Wednesday in the opinion. Jewish Community Responds To Trump Executive Order Vowing To Deport Pro-hamas Activists With Student Visas "The physically threatening or humiliating conduct that the Complaint alleges Jewish students in the library experienced 'is entirely outside the ambit of the free speech clause,' … and was objectively severe," Cronan wrote. Cronan added, "The Court is dismayed by Cooper Union's suggestion that the Jewish students should have hidden upstairs or left the building, or that locking the library doors was enough to discharge its obligations under Title VI." Read On The Fox News App Title VI of the Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination over race, color, and national origin for any activity or program receiving federal funding. He also pointed out that the New York state laws "provide comparable—if not greater—protections against discriminatory harassment in education than Title VI." Chants 'Calling For The Murder Of Jews' Were Shouted At Me During Cooper Union Protest, Student Recalls A Cooper Union spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital, "We are a college dedicated to being a welcoming and safe place of learning for all students. Since October 2023, reports on social media and in the news have cited inaccurate information, mischaracterizing the circumstances and our dedication to our students. Cooper Union never suggested that students should hide, nor as the evidence will show, were the library doors locked. Rather, Cooper Union offered students options of support, including the ability to leave safely." Trump Takes Aim At Campus Antisemitsm, Vows To Cancel Visas For Hamas Sympathizers Multiple universities have faced lawsuits over anti-Israel protests on their campuses since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. In January, Harvard University settled two lawsuits it was in alleging the university had "an unbearable educational environment" and disregarded "severe and pervasive anti-Semitism on campus." On July 9, 2024, New York University settled a lawsuit also pertaining to protests also sparked by the Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attack. President Donald Trump issued an executive order last week that it "shall be the policy of the United States to combat anti-Semitism vigorously, using all available and appropriate legal tools, to prosecute, remove, or otherwise hold to account the perpetrators of unlawful anti-Semitic harassment and violence."Original article source: Judge calls out university for making Jewish students hide in a 'proverbial attic,' allows lawsuit to proceed
