April 22, 2024 - Protests at Columbia and other schools escalate

Hedge fund billionaire Leon Cooperman, a prominent Columbia University donor, is offering support for the Ivy League school’s embattled president even as he continues to blast students protesting against Israel.

“My view is that finally they are doing the right thing at the school …The administration is now responding properly,” Cooperman told CNN in a phone interview Monday. “The president is now saying the right things.”

Cooperman, the son of Polish-Jewish immigrants, doubled down on his recent criticism of student protestors.

“These kids are f***ing crazy. They don’t understand what they’re doing or what they’re talking about,” he told CNN.

In October, Cooperman threatened to halt donations to Columbia, a threat that he says prompted Columbia President Minouche Shafik to reach out to him.

During a phone call with Shafik, Cooperman said he told her: “Can you imagine anyone criticizing the United States after Pearl Harbor?”

Cooperman said he has decided to continue to donate money to Columbia University if the funds only go to supporting Columbia Business School, which he graduated from.

“She is doing what she has to do,” Cooperman said of Shafik.

However, Cooperman said the “kids” protesting against Israel at Columbia “are out of control” and “have to be controlled.”

Referring to people who are antisemitic, Cooperman said: “F*** them all.”

A group called the Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine posted a statement on social media on Monday saying the movement has been “peaceful” and expressing frustration with “media distractions focusing on inflammatory individuals who do not represent us.”

“We firmly reject any form of hate or bigotry,” the statement said.

Robert Kraft, the billionaire owner of the NFL’s New England Patriots and prominent backer of Columbia University, said Monday he has lost confidence in the school's ability to protect its students and suggested he is withholding financial support for his alma mater.

Kraft, the founder of the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, called for Columbia officials to “stand up to this hate by ending these protests immediately.”

“The school I love so much – the one that welcomed me and provided me with so much opportunity – is no longer an institution I recognize,” Kraft said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. “I am deeply saddened at the virulent hate that continues to grow on campus and throughout our country.” 

Kraft, the namesake of Columbia’s Kraft Center for Jewish Student Life, said he is “no longer confident that Columbia can protect its students and staff and I am not comfortable supporting the university until corrective action is taken.”

He called on university officials to earn back the respect and trust of the “many of us who have lost faith in the institution.”

Kraft added that he hopes the Kraft Center will be a place for Jewish students and faculty to gather peacefully and practice their religion. 

University officials have requested the NYPD to only patrol the exterior of Columbia's campus, the department’s officials said Monday.

The NYPD will take action, however, if someone is in danger.

“If there’s a crime in progress, we’re going to go in,” Gerber said.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams issued a statement urging Columbia administration to “improve and maintain an open line of communication with the NYPD to ensure the safety of all students and staff on campus, as well as for the safety of all New Yorkers."

The NYPD said it is limited in how it can respond.

“We have to wait until (Columbia administration officials) decide that they want our presence on their campus,” NYPD Deputy Commissioner Tarik Sheppard said.

The New York Police Department has a “large presence” around the Columbia University campus but is limited in its ability to conduct operations on campus because it is private property, law enforcement officials said Monday.

“Absent some ongoing crime, we cannot just on the Columbia campus as we see fit,” NYPD Deputy Commissioner Michael Gerber said at news conference near campus.

Last week, at the behest of Columbia President Nemat “Minouche” Shafik, the NYPD arrested 108 people during pro-Palestinian protests on the university campus. Law enforcement officials subsequently dismantled the encampment located on the university’s South Lawn.

“That was an exceptional case,” Gerber said.

The New York Police Department will address the media at about 11:30 am ET near Columbia's campus.

Yale Police on Monday morning charged approximately 45 people for refusing orders to leave the scene of pro-Palestinian, pro-divestment protests on campus.

“At 6:30AM, New Haven police officers responded to assist the Yale Police Department in regards to a protest in the area of the Beinecke Plaza. The protesters were given commands to leave the property or be subject to arrest. Approximately 45 people refused to leave and were charged by Yale officers with Criminal Trespass in the 1st Degree, a misdemeanor,” New Haven Police said in a statement. “They were transported to a Yale Police facility where they were processed and released.”

Protesters are camped out at Columbia University's West Lawn outside Butler Library Monday morning. CNN estimates the number of protesters at 200.

The protesters are occupying the lawn just opposite the lawn where the original encampment took place.

Protesters have pitched over a dozen tents and there are tables stocked with supplies of clothes and food.

Signs on the perimeter include: “End the siege on Gaza now,” and “Welcome to the People’s University of Palestine.” 

Columbia announced early Monday that classes would be held remotely.

Second gentleman Doug Emhoff condemned reports of antisemitism and violence on college campuses as Columbia University and other institutions of higher education reel from tense protests that moved classes online and garnered national attention.

“No student should live in fear on campus,” Emhoff, the first Jewish spouse of a president or vice president, posted Sunday night in a statement shared on X, formerly known as Twitter. "The antisemitism and hate toward Jews, including threats of violence, that we are witnessing is unconscionable. Colleges and universities, along with their leadership, must do better.”

Emhoff told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer in a January interview that the fight against antisemitism weighs on him, especially after the October 7 attacks put a spotlight on pervasive antisemitic hate. 

“I know I have an obligation to our Jewish community as the first Jewish person in this role,” he told Blitzer. “There’s high expectations and there’s a lot of accountability – I take that extremely seriously. So, no matter how bad I might be feeling personally, it’s not going to stop me from continuing to use my voice, this microphone, to advocate against antisemitism, against hate, and to push our coalitions back together so we can fight this thing together.” 

Officials at Columbia University, facing surging tensions on campus that have raised safety concerns, have announced all classes will be virtual on Monday as Passover begins.

Columbia President Minouche Shafik said in a statement that the decision was made to “deescalate the rancor and give us all a chance to consider next steps.”

The move underscores how tense the situation has become at the Ivy League school and the enormous challenge facing Shafik to get the situation under control.

Shafik has faced new calls for her resignation, and a rabbi linked to the university even urged Jewish students to stay home due to concerns about their safety.

As pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus stretched into their fifth day, Columbia announced Sunday that students will have the option to attend classes virtually on Monday due to “campus activity.” Passover, a major Jewish holiday, is set to begin Monday evening.