Advocates Urge Trump Admin to Defund Columbia U & Barnard College Over Anti-Semitic Campus Atmosphere

Advocates Urge Trump Admin to Defund Columbia U & Barnard College Over Anti-Semitic Campus Atmosphere

Edited by: Fern Sidman

Amid escalating concerns over Jewish students’ safety on college campuses, advocates are calling on President Trump’s administration to cut federal funding to Columbia University and Barnard College, The New York Post reported on Friday. The demand follows a surge in anti-Israel demonstrations, including disruptive and violent campus protests, which critics argue have created an environment of hostility and intimidation.

According to the information provided in The New York Post report, the advocacy group StopAntisemitism is leading the charge, urging the Justice Department to take immediate action to prevent future campus disruptions. In a letter addressed to Leo Terrell, head of Trump’s newly formed task force to combat anti-Semitism, the group accused Columbia’s leadership of failing to protect Jewish students, faculty, and staff. “The university administration has completely failed to protect Jewish and Israeli students, faculty, and staff, allowing a hostile and dangerous environment to fester unchecked,” wrote Liora Rez, the executive director of StopAntisemitism, in the letter cited by The New York Post.

The financial stakes are significant. Columbia University received approximately $1.3 billion in federal grants in 2024 alone, amounting to 20% of its operating budget, according to figures reported by The Columbia Daily Spectator and highlighted in the report in The New York Post. Advocates are now pushing for those funds to be revoked, arguing that federal money should not be used to sustain an institution that has failed to ensure a safe learning environment for Jewish students.

Beyond defunding Columbia and Barnard, the letter—cited by The New York Post—also calls on the Justice Department to revoke student visas and deport foreign students involved in violent campus protests. It demands that school administrators be held accountable for enabling what StopAntisemitism describes as “lawlessness” on campus.

The New York Post report detailed one of the most recent flashpoints of unrest, which occurred on Wednesday at Barnard’s Milbank Hall. The event, organized by the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), quickly turned violent when a school security guard was assaulted. The New York Post reports that this chaos was sparked by the university’s decision to expel two masked students who, in January, had stormed a Columbia class on modern Israel and scattered anti-Semitic leaflets. The disciplinary action against these students prompted an angry response from anti-Israel activists, who viewed their expulsion as an attack on free speech.

By Thursday afternoon, The New York Post reported that protests had reignited, with approximately 100 anti-Israel demonstrators gathering outside Barnard’s entrance. The protestors—many of them masked and wearing keffiyehs—chanted “free Palestine” and the incendiary slogan “one solution, intifada revolution”, an apparent reference to violent uprisings against Israel. They also directly confronted the college, chanting, “your hands are dirty” and accusing Barnard of supporting genocide for its ties to Israel.

As anti-Israel demonstrators escalated their rhetoric, a group of Jewish students gathered in counter-protest, proudly waving Israeli flags. The New York Post reported that among them was Joshua Shain, a 21-year-old Columbia junior, who expressed deep concern over the protest’s tone and messaging.

Speaking to The New York Post, Shain described the disturbing nature of the chants. “I think it’s absolutely horrifying. They are chanting in Arabic, ‘from water to water Palestine will be Arab.’ They are not calling for peace and compassion and human rights. They are calling for violence,” he said.

Shain further argued that these protests were fundamentally at odds with Columbia’s values and the principles of American democracy. “These are not the values of the great institution of Columbia. These are not American values,” he told The New York Post.

While Shain acknowledged that Columbia’s administration had responded to the protests more decisively than in previous years, he emphasized that more action is needed to ensure the safety of Jewish students. The New York Post report underscored this point by noting that Columbia has been the site of multiple high-profile anti-Semitic incidents, with Jewish students increasingly reporting fear and harassment on campus.

With university administrators struggling to maintain order, students and parents are demanding answers about where their tuition and tax dollars are going if not toward ensuring a secure learning environment.

“We’re paying all this money in tuition, not to mention the federal and city taxes. The college and the city are supposed to make sure that everyone is safe. Where is that money going?” one concerned student asked in an interview with The New York Post. The student expressed deep frustration over the administration’s inaction following a brutal attack that left a security officer hospitalized. “They [protesters] put a man in the hospital for trying to keep order. What is being done?” he asked.

Echoing the sentiment, Jewish students at Barnard have described an increasingly hostile campus climate, where openly expressing their faith has become a source of anxiety and fear. Barnard freshman Eliana Birman, who previously wore her Star of David necklace and dog tags with pride, told The New York Post that the unrest has forced her to reconsider even these simple expressions of identity.

“I used to walk around campus with my head held high,” she said. “But now I feel very anxious about such harmless displays.” Birman lamented the erosion of open dialogue on campus, stating that what once attracted her to Barnard—the willingness of students to engage in robust discussions—has now devolved into a climate of fear.

“I came to Barnard because everyone has such strong opinions and everyone feels comfortable using their voice,” she told The New York Post. “But it’s gotten to a point where people are scared to speak up, and people have to hide what they think, what they feel, and who they are for the sake of being safe.”

The violence reached a dangerous peak during the protests at Milbank Hall on Wednesday, where demonstrators—led by the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP)—forcefully stormed the historic academic building. Law enforcement sources told The New York Post that approximately 20 students pushed a 41-year-old campus security officer to the ground as they barged inside.

The Transport Workers Union (TWU), which represents the injured security officer, described the assault as brutal and deliberate. The union’s leadership stated that the officer was “pinned” against a beam by the crowd before being slammed into “like a linebacker” by a particularly aggressive protester.

“In the eyes of some of these trust-fund baby ideologues, harming the blue-collar TWU workforce at Barnard is seen as acceptable collateral damage in their quest to advance their political cause,” TWU International President John Samuelsen said in a statement to The New York Post. He called for criminal charges against the perpetrators, urging authorities to investigate the incident and hold those responsible accountable.

The injured officer was transported to Mount Sinai Morningside hospital, where he was treated for chest pains following the attack, The New York Post report said.

Despite the violent outburst, demonstrators refused to back down. Their list of demands, as reported by The New York Post, included reinstatement of the two students expelled for disrupting a Columbia class on modern Israel, amnesty for protesters involved in last summer’s widespread campus demonstrations and an end to disciplinary measures for students engaging in anti-Israel activism.

However, Barnard College officials did not yield to the pressure. In a statement to The New York Post, Robin Levine, Barnard’s vice president for strategic communications, confirmed that no “amnesty” had been promised and that the college had not negotiated any concessions with the protesters.

“The masked protesters left Milbank Hall after receiving final written notice and being informed that Barnard would be forced to consider additional necessary measures to protect the campus if they did not leave on their own,” Levine stated.

The demonstrators, according to the information provided in The New York Post report, eventually vacated Milbank Hall by 10:40 p.m. Wednesday, only to regroup and march to Riverside Park. By Thursday, they had returned to Barnard’s front gates, continuing their highly charged protests against the administration.

Chants of “Free Palestine” and “One solution, intifada revolution” rang through the air as masked activists rallied outside the elite women’s college. The New York Post report noted that many of the same individuals involved in the previous night’s violence were present, now directing their anger toward the school’s leadership.

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), an organization dedicated to protecting free speech on college campuses, weighed in on the chaos at Barnard, making it clear that the Milbank takeover could not be considered a “peaceful protest”.

“What happened at Barnard last night was, by all accounts, not peaceful protest,” FIRE Vice President Alex Morey said in a statement to The New York Post. “Campuses need to draw a hard line: full support for peaceful student protest on even the most divisive political issues, and zero tolerance for misconduct, violence, or criminality.”

FIRE further criticized Barnard’s administration for failing to establish clear boundaries. “The buck stops with administrators,” Morey continued. “Barnard needs to educate students on these basic distinctions and be clear-eyed when it’s time to enforce rules that keep speakers safe on campus.”

Despite the escalating tensions and widespread criticism over its handling of campus security, Columbia University and Barnard College have not responded to multiple requests for comment, The New York Post reported.

In a recent development it was reported on Friday that the Federal Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism announced that it will be visiting 10 university campuses that have experienced anti-Semitic incidents since October 2023. Created pursuant to President Trump’s Executive Order on Additional Measures to Combat Anti-Semitism, the Task Force set as its first priority to eradicate anti-Semitic harassment in schools and on college campuses.

Leading Task Force member and Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Leo Terrell informed the 10 universities yesterday that the Task Force was aware of allegations that the schools may have failed to protect Jewish students and faculty members from unlawful discrimination, in potential violation of federal law. Terrell said he intends for the Task Force to meet with university leadership, impacted students and staff, local law enforcement, and community members as it gathers information about these incidents and considers whether remedial action is warranted.

“The President, Attorney General Pamela Bondi, and the entire Administration are committed to ensuring that no one should feel unsafe or unwelcome on campus because of their religion,” said  Terrell. “The Task Force’s mandate is to bring the full force of the federal government to bear in our effort to eradicate Anti-Semitism, particularly in schools. These visits are just one of many steps this Administration is taking to deliver on that commitment.”

The 10 universities identified by the Task Force are: Columbia University; George Washington University; Harvard University; Johns Hopkins University; New York University; Northwestern University; the University of California, Los Angeles; the University of California, Berkeley; the University of Minnesota; and the University of Southern California.