House Democrats are now taking a stronger stance against the outbreak of pro-Hamas protests on college campuses. While criticism of the anti-Israel activists making encampments on campuses has been bipartisan, the harshest rhetoric has come from Republicans, some of whom have called for the resignation of Columbia University’s president Minouche Shafik.

In a letter obtained by Axios, a group of 21 Democratic lawmakers slammed the university’s handling of the protests and antisemitism running rampant at the school. The message starts by expressing the lawmakers’ “disappointment that, despite promises to do so, Columbia University has not yet disbanded the unauthorized and impermissible encampment of anti-Israel, anti-Jewish activists on campus.”

The letter notes that “many students have been prevented from safely attending class, the main library, and from leaving their dorm rooms in an apparent violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.”

This appears to be a reference to the Jewish students who have been harassed and even violently attacked on the premises. “For the past week, this encampment has been the breeding ground for antisemitic attacks on Jewish students, including hate speech, harassment, intimidation, and even threats of violence.”

Last weekend, a student held up a sign pointing to pro-Israel students that said “Al-Qa[ss]am’s next targets,” referring to the military arm of Hamas, the foreign terrorist organization responsible for the atrocities of October 7, and for holding hostage innocent civilians – including Americans – in brutal captivity for nearly seven months. One of the protest leaders has previously declared, “Zionists — they are Nazis. They’re Nazis. They’re fascists. They’re supporters of genocide. Why would we want people who are supporters of genocide to live?” and students routinely chanted “from the river to the sea,” which is a cry to eliminate Israel and all Jews within its borders.

The lawmakers brought up the fact that the encampment has had such a negative impact that the school had to resort to a hybrid learning approach in which students took classes virtually due to the threats of violence.

The letter affirms that the First Amendment protects free speech and assembly, “but not the freedom to harass and intimidate students” and accused the school of allowing “the encampment to create an environment that appears to violate its legal obligations to protect all students from discrimination and harassment.”

The Axios report notes that “[t]he letter was mostly signed by moderate and swing-district members, including 10 Jewish lawmakers.”

On Monday, Shafik acknowledged that negotiations between the university and the activists had failed to reach an agreement.

Besides, negotiating with agitators who carry signs declaring "Death to Zionists," "From the River to the Sea," and other such antisemitic vileness only serves to further empower the demonstrators.

As RedState reported on Sunday, Columbia demonstrators are now demanding "amnesty" for their actions so their future career opportunities won't be affected. This is insane, and it would be even more insane if Columbia caved to the demand.

As is the case with most left-wingers, Shafik continues to want it both ways.  

On one hand, Shafik says the demonstrations have created “an unwelcoming environment for many of our Jewish students and faculty” and that “external actors” have contributed to a “hostile environment” around university gates, which has become a “noisy distraction” for students. On the other hand, she has refused to call in the cops.

Democrats like Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) have issued harsh rebukes against the pro-Hamas activists. During a recent interview, he lashed out at protesters who are “living in a pup tent for Hamas.” However, other Democrats like Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) have supported the pro-Hamas lobby which has created a rift on the left.