Columbia Has Cancelled In-Person Classes Amid Pro-Palestinian Protests

socraticdailyApr 22, 2024

Columbia has cancelled in-person classes amid pro-Palestinian protests. The university moved classes online Monday as confrontations over the Israel-Hamas war intensified. Schools across the country braced for a graduation season marked by heated protests and escalating security concerns. As usual, this is caused by the zealotry of the pro-Palestinian side.

Columbia President Minouche Shafik said the school would move classes online for the day in an effort to “de-escalate the rancor and give us all a chance to consider next steps.” This comes in the wake of pro-Palestinian agitators congregating on the campus and demanding the school cut any ties to Israel. Their hope is to put enough pressure on universities that the universities cave to their demands.

But these protests have turned nasty and have included people that have made threats against Jewish students. Things have gotten so bad that Rabbi Elie Buechler, a rabbi associated with Columbia University’s Orthodox Union Jewish Learning Initiative, sent a WhatsApp message to a group of about 300 mostly Orthodox Jewish students “strongly” recommending they return home and remain there.

The pro-Palestinian agitators frequently chant anti-semitic, possibly genocidal slogans against Jews, including the infamous “from the River to the Sea.” Burning American flags is also a not completely uncommon sight at pro-Palestinian protests in the US. Such instances never occur at pro-Israel rallies. It is indicative of the fact that the pro-Palestinian side is inherently anti-American. Left wing media sources want to brush this fact under the table.

In the wake of these protests, New England Patriot’s owner Robert Kraft said that he would no longer be donating to Columbia University. “I am no longer confident that Columbia can protect its students and staff and I am not comfortable supporting the university until corrective action is taken,” Kraft said. Kraft is one of many wealthy university donors who have made decisions like this.

This comes as the Israel-Hamas war continues, and tensions between Israel and Iran escalate. While tensions between Israel and Iran have since calmed down a bit, we are not out of the woods. Israel continues to fight a terrorist enemy that embeds itself within the population. And the world continues to criticize Israel for this, practically conducting Hamas’ propaganda campaign for them.

Things are extremely tense in the US and around the world. This is a function of the increased anti-Israel sentiment among younger people in the US and rest of the West. These young people go to great lengths to defend a society whose social values completely contradicts theirs. Cognitive dissonance is on full display with many in the younger generation. This is a bad sign for America and the West’s future.

Columbia has cancelled in-person classes amid pro-Palestinian protests. How long will in-person classes stay cancelled? Will this actually de-escalate the situation? We will have to wait and see.