Columbia’s Disturbing Pro-Hamas Encampment

What’s happening: Anti-Israel activists at Columbia University created a “Gaza solidarity encampment” last week.

• Context: Last Thursday, the NYPD was brought in to arrest over 100 participants in the trash-filled encampment who were violating school rules. The arrests did not stop the protest from continuing without an end in sight.

Disturbing chants: During rallies associated with the encampment, people chanted “Al-Qassam [Hamas], you make us proud, kill another soldier now!” and “There is only one solution, intifada revolution.”

• Terror supporters: One person yelled at two Jews, "Never forget the 7th of October. That will happen not one more time, not five more times, not 10 ... 100 … 1,000 … 10,000 ... The 7th of October is going to be every day for you.”

• Antisemitism: Demonstrators were yelling “Jews” in Arabic and others were saying “Go back to Poland,” where more than 90 percent of the Jewish population was killed in the Holocaust.

• Contrast: Pro-Israel demonstrators came with American and Israeli flags, and sang God Bless America.

President’s response: Columbia President Minouche Shafik at first seemed in control when she tried to make it clear such conduct would not be tolerated. However, the movement is gaining steam. Tents have been re-erected in the encampment and people unauthorized to be on campus have been seen sneaking in.

• Out of control: The Orthodox rabbi at Columbia advised Jewish students to leave campus, writing, “What we are witnessing in and around campus is terrible and tragic … The events of the last few days … have made it clear that Columbia … cannot guarantee Jewish students’ safety.”