WASHINGTON – Lengthy Island GOP Rep. Anthony D’Esposito is demanding that the embattled president of Columbia College pay again a minimum of $200,000 in prices to the NYPD for having to twice shut down the “absurd” and “unlawful” anti-Israel tent encampment on campus final spring.
A former NYPD detective, D’Esposito ripped Columbia president Minouche Shafik in a Friday letter for having imposed the upper prices “to finish the troubling and disgraceful pro-terror protests that unfolded” on the Morningside Heights campus in April.
“The College, below your management, is at fault for permitting chaos to unfold to the purpose the place pro-terror college students disrupted the functioning of the College, instilled concern in Jewish and Israeli college students, held custodians hostage, and inflicted violence, and the NYPD and taxpayers mustn’t need to foot the invoice on your failure,” D’Esposito wrote, lashing out at Shafik.
“After all of the harm these pro-terror riots and encampments have triggered below your watch, to college students, college, surrounding communities, and public servants, it’s time you do the proper factor by making amends to all these affected,” he added.
Pupil demonstrators — whose actions have been endorsed by Hamas — arrange the Gaza Solidarity Encampment on April 17, which was briefly disrupted by police however instantly rebuilt and “allowed to fester for weeks,” in keeping with D’Esposito.
Throughout that point, Shafik “turned a blind eye” to the harassment and intimidation of Jewish college students — prompting a campus rabbi to induce them to stay at dwelling as a result of “excessive antisemitism.”
One outspoken Jewish professor was even barred from campus as a result of directors admitted they couldn’t guarantee his security.
Video footage and images of protesters confirmed them chanting antisemitic slogans and holding up indicators that referred to as for the eradication of Israel — with one extensively circulated picture exhibiting a demonstrator declaring Israeli flag-waving Columbia undergrads as Hamas’ “subsequent goal.”
NYPD officers stormed Columbia College’s campus the night of April 30 and arrested 112 protesters — 32 of whom weren’t even college students on the Ivy League college.
Some had additionally occupied Hamilton Corridor earlier than the crackdown and barricaded themselves inside earlier than police dragged them out.
D’Esposito mentioned New York’s Most interesting “allotted $200,000 in time beyond regulation pay to cowl this operation,” which was “no small quantity and has adverse implications to the operations of the Division.”
New York Metropolis Mayor Eric Adams, a former NYPD captain, had mentioned on Might 2 that Columbia “ought to contribute to the associated fee.”
The identical day that the tent metropolis was first pitched at Columbia, Shafik floundered when giving testimony earlier than Congress about her dealing with of antisemitism on campus.
The Columbia president mentioned that chanting “From the river to the ocean” and “Intifada” — that are used as requires the destruction of Israel — was “hurtful” however declined to say whether or not it violated the college’s code of conduct.
D’Esposito joined a bunch of Home Republicans who visited the Ivy League campus in April to denounce the terror-sympathizing scholar protesters.
“In case you are a protester on this campus, and you might be proud that you just’ve been endorsed by Hamas, you might be a part of the issue,” D’Esposito mentioned throughout a press convention alongside Home Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and different Republicans on the steps of the Low Library.
“Once you cheer on the truth that you get pleasure from Hamas and Hezbollah, you might be your self a part of the issue,” he shouted. “We see on this campus the hate-filled speech that’s carrying by this nation.”
Reps for Columbia College didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
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