Radical protesters take over Columbia library during finals

Donald Trump and the GOP have been trying to crack down on anti-Israel protests, some of which have turned violent and destructive, which is a problem.

Judges have backed the protesters, and when you embolden them, you can predict what will happen, and that is what Columbia University is experiencing now.

Protester Freed

Before I get into this report, I want to be clear that I support everyone’s right to protest, as I always have, but I have also stated that it should not impede other people, damage property, or result in threats or violence.

If you want to protest, that is fine, but it should not stop people from going to class or work, or anything remotely close to that.

Mohsen Mahdawi is an anti-Israel protester who ICE had arrested for his actions during the previous protests at Columbia University. A judge ordered him released, and as soon as he came out, he had a message for Donald Trump, stating, "I'm not afraid of you.”

That became a rallying cry for other protesters, believing they now have carte blanche to do whatever they want, and Columbia was about to find out that coddling these individuals came at a high price tag.

More Protests

Those of us who have gone to college know what finals weeks are like, where you spend most of your time at the library studying, and even a few cat naps when you cannot keep your eyes open any longer.

That would not be the case for some Columbia students, however, as a portion of the library was reportedly taken over by masked protesters supporting Palestine.

As the campus turned to chaos, Secretary Marco Rubio’s State Department warned the protesters, "Foreign university students in America have been put on notice: if you break the law or support terrorism in our country, we will revoke your visa. This administration will not tolerate noncitizens causing mayhem on our college campuses."

Rubio added that the State Department was "reviewing the visa status of the trespassers and vandals who took over Columbia University’s library. Pro-Hamas thugs are no longer welcome in our great nation."

Send Them In

Eventually, the NYPD was called in to break up the protest, checking IDs on everyone to see if they were students or disrupters, charging those who did not have permission to be on campus with trespassing.

Authorities were also reportedly checking for residency status, ready to put violators on the next deportation plane out of the country. Acting President Claire Shipman explained, “Requesting the presence of the NYPD is not the outcome we wanted, but it was absolutely necessary to secure the safety of our community.”

Shipman added, “Disruptions to our academic activities will not be tolerated and are violations of our rules and policies; this is especially unacceptable while our students study and prepare for final exams. Columbia strongly condemns violence on our campus, antisemitism and all forms of hate and discrimination, some of which we witnessed today.”

It is good to see someone finally step up and do the right thing. Ivy League schools are rampant with antisemitism these days, and it simply cannot be tolerated. Protest all you want, but when that protest crosses the line, drop the hammer, and that appears to be what happened here, and I fully support it.