Progressive Academics Call for Boycott of Columbia for Cracking Down on Anti-Israel Rhetoric
“Universities cannot pretend to hold higher education sacred while repressing students and faculty, undermining free speech and academic freedom, and prohibiting dissent”
This really cracks me up. All these leftists suddenly claim to care about free speech on campus. Where have they been for the last fifteen years?
Professor Jacobson commented:
This is great, all the acadmic lunatics should start boycotting each other
https://t.co/Q8DDinRe9s
— William A. Jacobson (@wajacobson) March 28, 2025
From the HuffPost:
At Least 1,400 Academics Call To Boycott Columbia For Free Speech Crackdown
A steadily climbing list of academics have committed to boycott Columbia University and Barnard College over the schools’ decisions to punish students and faculty who speak against Israel’s U.S.-backed destruction of Gaza, and collaborate with the Trump administration while federal immigration officials detain their students.
As of Thursday evening, more than 1,400 academics signed onto a statement condemning Columbia’s participation in what they called “an authoritarian assault on universities aimed at destroying their role as sites of teaching, research, learning and activism essential to building a free and fair world.”
“Universities cannot pretend to hold higher education sacred while repressing students and faculty, undermining free speech and academic freedom, and prohibiting dissent,” the statement read. “Every such act of craven suppression and compliance only further undermines the university and emboldens the reactionary forces intent on destroying it.”
The statement comes just days after Columbia leadership announced it will implement multiple alarming policies demanded by the Trump administration so it can receive the $400 million in grants initially withdrawn by the government earlier this month ― something constitutional law scholars warned “creates a dangerous precedent for every recipient of federal financial assistance.”
A spokesperson for Columbia declined HuffPost’s request for comment. On Tuesday, interim president Katrina Armstrong defended her decision to implement the Trump administration’s demands, which she said include immediately strengthening “enforcement rules on demonstrations, identification and masking” to help combat antisemitism.
“These attacks are fueled by anti-Palestinian racism and enabled by the dangerous weaponization of antisemitism,” the signatories said. “They expose classrooms, dorms, labs and other common spaces to the surveillance predation of a federal government that has declared war on higher education.”
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Comments
Nope, the University needs to set up a small area away from the academic buildings as a “free speech” zone and list all other areas as no go zones for protests. They also need to enforce arrest of those that cover their face during a protest. Students not adhering to this would face a year expulsion and a hefty fine. Non-students need to be charged and prosecuted with trespassing and anything else that can be thrown at them.
This is great!!! The bigoted progressive fools are creating a list for us of those that need to be fired and deported if non-citizen. Well done!
1,400 terrorist sympathizers have voluntarily asked to have their visa status investigated by ICE.
Sure, some of them are American Citizens who should henceforth be referred to as fellow travelers. Not much can be done about them.
But I would wager a large sum of money (if I had one) that a third or more of those people are deportable. And a good chunk of them will be now that they’ve declared their hatred so publicly.
Really, I like this game! Let’s play some more!
the pols have moved free speech zones away from events they are holding
but dont afford the same for students…especially pro freedom j 0ws trying to study
“A steadily climbing list of academics have committed to boycott Columbia University and Barnard College over the schools’ decisions to punish students and faculty who speak against Israel’s U.S.-backed destruction of Gaza, and collaborate with the Trump administration while federal immigration officials detain their students.”
Really? Columbia has decided to punish people for speaking? Didn’t have anything to do with unlawfully occupying and blocking school grounds? Or harassing, bullying and assaulting Jewish people and anyone who didn’t agree with them?
They are “collaborating” with the Trump administration? Really? Not buying it.
The only reason Columbia is even trying to pretend to cave into the Trump administration’s demands is to keep that sweet, sweet taxpayer money flowing.
So here’s a thought: All those academics should band together, forego their salaries and donate the $400m that Columbia will be losing should they choose to ignore Trump’s demands.
That way the university can honor their Islamist student’s “rights” to disrupt the campus and assault people without having to worry about their finances.
Win-win right?
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