(NewsNation) — A group of House Democrats is urging Columbia University’s board of trustees to end the ongoing protest encampment on the campus or step down from their positions.
Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio, is among the 21 Democrats who sent a letter to the board demanding school officials put an end to the encampment, which has garnered national attention for more than a week.
In an interview with NewsNation’s “The Hill,” Landsman said, “Adults are failing these kids.”
“Adults across the board … they’re failing these kids,” Landsman said on “The Hill.” “It is really important for the adults to keep everyone safe, which they can’t do unless they get rid of these encampments. And to help educate folks to understand the difference between free speech and hate and dangerous speech, the difference between protesting and chaos.”
“We, the undersigned, write to express our disappointment that, despite promises to do so, Columbia University has not yet disbanded the unauthorized and impermissible encampment of anti-Israel, anti-Jewish activists on campus. … As a result of this disruption on campus, supported by some faculty members, many students have been prevented from safely attending class, the main library, and from leaving their dorm rooms in an apparent violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.”
Part of the letter addressed to Columbia’s board
Student lawsuit against Columbia
An anonymous student brought a lawsuit against Columbia University, saying the school failed to provide a safe learning environment amid the ongoing pro-Palestine protests.
The suit against the school’s trustees recognizes the right to protest but alleges that while many of the protests are peaceful, a subset are “continuing to commit acts of violence.”
According to the filing, Jewish students have been physically attacked and targeted by pro-Hamas hate speech. The lawsuit accuses those protesters of inciting violence against Jewish students and pro-Israel counterprotesters on campus.
Lawyers argue that backing down on a demand for the encampment to be cleared and continuing to negotiate with protesters while moving to a hybrid learning model is unfair and creates a disparate experience between Jewish and non-Jewish students.
