The penalty of 400 million dollars (369 million euros) was decided on within a few days. An investigation was announced on Monday, with the results coming on Friday. This could happen to other universities as well, according to the announcement.
According to the government of Donald Trump, Columbia University did not adequately protect Jewish students during the student protests that erupted following Israel’s retaliation for the Hamas attacks on 7 October 2023.
Criticism
Opinions on this matter diverge. Critics label the sudden budget cuts an unconstitutional attempt to stifle freedom of speech. Moreover, the Republicans’ fight against antisemitism is seen as hypocritical and opportunistic, given the antisemites within their own ranks.
Particularly notable is Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene, who among other things believed that Jews caused wildfires with space lasers. Nevertheless, Trump supported her in her election campaign.
Antisemitism
The accusations from Trump and his administration aren’t totally unexpected. The student protests at American universities have put administrators’ neutrality to the test. It escalated to the point where even the US House of Representatives intervened and summoned administrators at the end of 2023. Last August, the president of Columbia stepped down.
The university, with an annual budget of around 6.6 billion dollars, had been bracing for a budget cut for some time. Columbia launched a webpage last week dedicated to combating antisemitism and previously attempted to refute criticism, but to no avail.
A scoreboard from the pro-Israel Anti-Defamation League summarises the situation. The university does almost everything right. You can eat kosher, there is a Jewish student life, and the university collaborates with Israeli institutions. But there are also fierce anti-Zionist activists opposing the war in Gaza.
