New York Attorney General Letitia James gave a red line for pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University and other college campuses.
Columbia University and other colleges across the United States have found themselves embroiled in the domestic debate over the war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Students have led protests against Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip, which occurred after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. About 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage during the attack.
More than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict the Associated Press reported, citing local health officials, while more than 80 percent of Gaza's 2.3 million people have been displaced. The rising death toll sparked worldwide concerns about the consequences of Israel's operations in Gaza, as a growing number of Americans believe Israel has gone too far.
Protests at Columbia, however, have sparked concerns from Jewish leaders who say Jewish and Israeli students feel at risk. Critics have warned that some of these protests have veered into antisemitism, as some Jewish students have said they have been harassed by some protesters.
These protests have sparked criticism from some Jewish leaders, who say they make Jewish and Israeli citizens feel at risk as critics say some of these protests have veered into antisemitism.
James weighed in on the protests Monday night in a post to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, warning protesters against engaging in "acts of antisemitic violence."
"Everyone has a right to peacefully protest, but acts of antisemitic violence cross a line. We know the dire consequences of failing to stand tall in the face of hate," James wrote.
Her office is "closely" monitoring the protests at Columbia, she wrote.
Newsweek reached out to James' office for further comment via email.
Students set up a "Gaza Solidarity Encampment" on Columbia's campus last Wednesday to protest Columbia's "continued financial investment in corporations that profit from Israeli apartheid, genocide, and occupation in Palestine."
University officials authorized the New York Police Department (NYPD) to sweep the encampment, which they said violated the school's policies.
More than 100 students were arrested, but demonstrations continued throughout the weekend and early this week, spreading to other colleges across the country, including nearby New York University.
The protests have drawn criticism from local and national leaders.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said he was "horrified and disgusted with the antisemitism being spewed at and around the Columbia University campus" and that he "instructed the NYPD to investigate any violation of law that is reported."
White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates said in a statement that while Americans have "the right to peaceful protest," "calls for violence and physical intimidation targeting Jewish students and the Jewish community are blatantly antisemitic, unconscionable, and dangerous."
"They have absolutely no place on any college campus, or anywhere in the United States of America," he wrote.
However, some Columbia faculty have defended student protesters, arguing that they have stayed peaceful and have a right to protest the Israeli government's offensive in Gaza.
NBC News reporter Antonia Hylton wrote in a post to X that she "didn't see a single instance of violence or aggression on the lawn or at the student encampment."
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