New York House Republicans call on Columbia president to resign amid Palestine protests

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - All 10 New York Republicans in the US House of Representatives called on Columbia University President Minouche Shafik to step down from her post amid ongoing pro-Palestinian protests Monday.

The lawmakers said in a letter to Shafik that "anarchy has engulfed" the school's Manhattan campus, and accused the president of failing to provide students with "a safe learning environment."

"As Representatives from the State of New York, many of our constituents are directly impacted by the unfolding chaos on Columbia’s campus. Based on these recent events and your testimony in front of Congress, we have no confidence in your leadership of this once esteemed institution," wrote the group led by Representative Elise Stefanik.

"The ongoing situation that has unfolded is a direct symptom of your continued lax enforcement of policy and clear double standards. Your failure to enforce the rules on campus has created an environment in which students and outside agitators know they are able to operate with impunity and without any accountability," they added.

Pro-Palestinian protesters have launched a wave of protests on campus condemning Israel's offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has displaced over 75% of the coastal enclave's estimated 2.3 million people, and resulted in over 34,000 deaths, according to Gaza health officials.

Demonstrators are urging Columbia to divest from companies linked to Israel.

Senator John Fetterman, a Democrat who has strongly supported Israel amid its ongoing war on Gaza, and Republican Senator Tim Scott have also called for Shafik to step down.

Over 100 students, including the daughter of US Representative Ilhan Omar, were arrested at Columbia Thursday as they were staging a sit-in after Shafik called on the New York Police Department (NYPD) to clear the demonstration.

The action has only emboldened the protest movement, however, with protests spreading to other campuses, including Yale where dozens of people were arrested Monday.

Shafik earlier Monday announced that all classes will be held remotely amid the continued demonstrations with protesters camping out on the Ivy League school's West Lawn.

The Columbia Spectator, the university's newspaper, published a searing editorial against Shafik on Thursday saying that her request that the NYPD enter Columbia's campus "and forcibly remove peaceful protesters spotlights the emptiness and duplicity of the promises she made to Congress and the Columbia community.

"Unlike her predecessor’s steadfast commitment to free speech, Shafik has demonstrated a complete lack of consistency in enforcing her principles, failing to differentiate between speech she personally opposes and speech warranting suppression," the editorial board wrote.

"With all four of her leadership principles serving as nothing more than mere platitudes, it becomes clear what Columbia’s true crisis is."