Earlier this week, law enforcement officers finally restored order at Columbia University in New York City, clearing a pro-terrorism encampment illegally set up on the school's main lawn, as well as an on-campus building that had been overrun and occupied by Hamas supporting radicals. Encampment participators engaged in terrorism glorification, chanted terrorism slogans, and harassed, bulled and assaulted Jews. One of their leaders explicitly called for the deaths of Israel supporters. In taking over Hamilton Hall, these people shoved their way past students trying to prevent its hostile takeover, smashed windows, destroyed property, and allegedly held custodians against their will for a short period of time. This was not a "peaceful protest," and the issues at play do not represent a free speech issue. The police had to enter the building through windows because the agitators had barricaded themselves inside using furniture, some of which they broke. Multiple arrests were made, finally. Listening to hysterical members of the Squad, you'd think this was a modern day re-run of the Kent State massacre:
These are students.
— Congressman Jamaal Bowman (@RepBowman) May 1, 2024
In no world should our kids be met with guns when using their constitutional right to peacefully assemble. https://t.co/w5KxvkOw6h
If any kid is hurt tonight, responsibility will fall on the mayor and univ presidents.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) May 1, 2024
Other leaders and schools have found a safe, de-escalatory path. This is the opposite of leadership and endangers public safety. A nightmare in the making.
I urge the Mayor to reverse course. https://t.co/52eAEfbJjq
Bowman -- an established lawbreaker and liar -- unsurprisingly defended the violent, criminal takeover of a building at Columbia, shrugging that the lawbreakers were "gonna do what they got to do." As for AOC's 'point,' Mary Katharine Ham offered an apt response:
I too would like law enforcement to perform well, with good judgment, and understand what a free society expects of them, which is not to hurt or trounce the free speech rights of a bunch of merely protesting students. But occupying buildings, barring people from parts of campus based on their religion or ethnicity, and impeding movement and/or assaulting people on campus aren’t speech. Those who choose to do those things have *escalated* the situation to a point at which police must bodily remove some of them using force. It is not surprising, I guess, that those who find common cause with Hamas also require the pristine, impossible standard of restraint in defending against their escalations on campus as they require of Israel after Oct 7. The standard becomes “we do whatever we want, observe no rules, and get food delivered to us by you” and you do whatever we want, observe all rules, and deliver the food. Just as with Hamas, this is not a standard that allows for a functioning space for other free people, who also deserve to be there.
With the grievance-mongering victimhood olympics in full swing, editors at the "prestigious" Columbia Law Review exploited the Hamas-crowd-caused disruptions on campus as an opportunity to claim trauma and make "demands." These embarrassing children, and the 'adults' coddling them, are -- shall we say -- irreparably shaking their Ivy League university's diminished reputation:
NEW: The student editors of the Columbia Law Review have issued a statement urging the law school to cancel exams in the wake of the police operation that cleared the university's encampment, saying the "violence" has left them "irrevocably shaken" and "unable to focus."🧵 pic.twitter.com/BOD87x5mwM
— Aaron Sibarium (@aaronsibarium) May 2, 2024
Just a pile of unhinged lunacy:
The statement, which represents the majority opinion of the editorial board and was endorsed by five other law journals, including the Columbia Human Rights Law Review & A Jailhouse Lawyer’s Manual, accused the police of "brutalizing" students—though no major injuries have been reported—and claimed that canceling exams was a "proportionate response" to the "distress our peers have been feeling." "The current exam policy raises concerns around equity and academic integrity," the statement said. "Many are unwell at this time and cannot study or concentrate while their peers are being hauled to jail." The statement also accuses members of a "white supremacist, neo-fascist hate group" of "storming" campus—an apparent reference to a pro-Israel rally organized by Christian Zionists, including the evangelical musician Sean Feucht, who gathered outside of Columbia’s gates on April 25 for hymns and prayer.
The police did not behave 'brutally,' as even the House Democratic leader noted. Holding exams as scheduled may raise "equity"-related concerns, but not real ones. Pro-Israel Christians who prayed and sang hymns near campus did not "storm" Columbia, nor are they a "white supremacist, neo-fascist hate group." It seems like the signatories to this pathetic missive constitute a roster of future lawyers for firms seeking serious people and thinkers -- or even people capable of accurately conveying factual information -- not to hire. These frenzied, entitled toddlers are neither or best nor our brightest. Also take note that the Jewish students (who have been routinely targeted with open hatred and physical intimidation, while enduring a 'round-the-clock ethnic-cleansing-endorsing hate rally on the quad of their school) didn't insist that exams be canceled due to their "distress." Columbia's administration has covered itself in inglory throughout this shameful saga, but it does appear as though the law school's grown-ups are not going to capitulate on this front: "Columbia Law School told the Washington Free Beacon it had no plans to cancel exams, which it said would be administered 'through the conclusion of the exam period.'" It should be obvious that the howling mob at Columbia doesn't represent the sentiments of the American people:
Don't be fooled by your social media feed or the screaming mobs on college campuses.
— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) April 29, 2024
The majority of Americans support Israel and understand it is fighting a brutal terrorist organization
Findings from the new Harvard CAPS Harris poll🧵
➡️ 80% of Americans support Israel… pic.twitter.com/oINwG82jFB
kudos to the harvard harris poll for showing how wording matters here: pic.twitter.com/WTLFqKF5sj
— Samara Klar (@SamaraKlar) April 29, 2024
But it also seems as though the howling mob at Columbia doesn't even represent the sentiments of the student body at Columbia, in light of this recent development:
Meet the surprising president-elect of the student body of the School of General Studies, one of Columbia University’s four undergraduate colleges. Her name is Maya Platek. She is a proud Israeli who once worked for the Israel Defense Forces spokesperson’s unit. Anyone watching the goings-on at the university’s Morningside Heights campus these past two weeks might easily mistake Columbia for a wholly owned subsidiary of Hamas Inc. Ms. Platek’s election throws a wrench into the protester narratives. It signals that at least some at Columbia want students to be able to walk the campus without harassment—and life to get back to normal...Ms. Platek is a member of Students Supporting Israel, a national organization whose mission is “to be a clear and confident pro-Israel voice on college campuses.” It also aims for something Columbia plainly needs: “to reassure students who oppose the demonization of the State of Israel on campus that they are not alone.” In a speech captured on video a few months back, Ms. Platek spoke about Columbia students and faculty who “manipulate history in order to demonize” Jews. She made clear she isn’t intimidated. “They choose to advocate for our removal off of this campus over our nationality,’’ Ms. Platek said. “That is discrimination. They choose to regurgitate Nazi Germany’s talking points. They choose to argue that they are righteous to advocate for our death. Wake up!”
That's the newly-elected student body president of Columbia's undergraduate school of General Studies. Maybe her would-be opponents were too busy cosplaying and jihad glamping to prevent one of the 'bad' you-know-who's from getting elected. Or maybe they tried and got out-voted anyway. Regardless, the braying hyenas who purport to 'speak for young people,' or whatever, may not, in fact, speak for young people:
Morning Consult: Do you support asking the police to protect campuses from violence?
— Josh Kraushaar (@JoshKraushaar) May 2, 2024
Support 76%
Oppose 10%
18-34 year old voters: 67% support / 17% oppose https://t.co/WMaUyayjfF
By a 50 point margin, young voters support having police "protect campuses from violence," even if members of the Squad pronounce themselves horrified by such developments. 'Defund the police' has once again emerged as a popular "demand" from these dirtbags, further underscoring (a) how out of step with mainstream sentiment these people are, and (b) how little so many of them actually care about the "issue" (Gaza) over which they claim to be obsessed. As I noted on Special Report last night, a great deal of this 'movement' is just the usual collection of anti-civilization, left-wing lowlife malcontents, with a few more Islamists mixed in.
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