US senators urge Biden to 'restore order' amid campus protests
U.S. Senators urge President Joe Biden to "take action to restore order and protect Jewish students on college campuses" amid escalating pro-Palestinian protests
Republican Senators have escalated pressure on the Biden administration as pro-Palestinian campus protests spread across the U.S.
Led by Sen. Tom Cotton, 27 Senate Republicans urged Attorney General Merrick Garland and Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona to intervene, asserting that campuses have been "effectively shut down by anti-Semitic mobs targeting Jewish students."
The letter, addressed to Garland and Cardona, coincided with protests over Israel’s ongoing conflict in Gaza, which have gained momentum at several U.S. universities, including Columbia University, New York University, and Yale. As tensions rise, officials are racing to defuse the demonstrations.
"You need to take action to restore order and protect Jewish students on our college campuses. President (Joe) Biden issued a statement on Sunday purporting to condemn the outbreak of anti-Semitism. If that statement was serious, it must be accompanied by immediate action from your departments," they wrote in the letter.
The senators have requested Garland and Cardona to provide an update on efforts to protect Jewish students by Wednesday.
Top US universities witness widespread pro-Palestinian protests
At New York University in Manhattan, more than 130 people were arrested overnight during pro-Palestinian protests. This crackdown followed the arrest of 45 people at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The tensions escalated further after Columbia University in New York announced a switch to online classes due to the pro-Palestinian protests.
Over 100 students, including the daughter of U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar, were arrested at Columbia on Thursday during a sit-in after Columbia President Minouche Shafik called on the New York Police Department (NYPD) to clear the demonstration.
In response, all 10 New York Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives urged Shafik to step down on Monday. In a letter to Shafik, the conservative lawmakers stated that "anarchy has engulfed" the school's Manhattan campus and accused her of failing to provide students with "a safe learning environment."
Israel destroys 12 major universities
Israel's offensive on the Gaza Strip has displaced more than 75% of the coastal enclave's estimated 2.3 million residents and resulted in over 34,000 deaths, according to Gaza health officials.
Israel has also targeted Gaza's places of higher education, with all of its 12 major universities being destroyed. At the beginning of January, around 75% of the enclave's educational infrastructure had been damaged, according to the U.N.
The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, has separately reported mass destruction at the sprawling network of schools it operates in the coastal enclave.
Demonstrators are demanding that universities divest from Israel-linked firms and condemn Israel's assault on Gaza. Counter-protesters in support of Israel have said the protests veer into antisemitism and make Jewish students feel unsafe.
Source: Newsroom
