Columbia's president rebuts claims she has allowed the university to become a hotbed of antisemitism

Source: AP

BY ANNIE MA AND COLLIN BINKLEY

WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) — Columbia University’s president took a firm stance against antisemitism in a congressional hearing on Wednesday, but she faced bruising criticism from Republicans who say her actions haven’t supported her words, especially when it comes to disciplining faculty and students accused of bias.

Nemat Shafik’s visit to Capitol Hill was a reprise of a December hearing that led to the resignations of presidents at Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania. It’s part of a Republican campaign to investigate antisemitism at America’s most prestigious universities since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

After the other Ivy League presidents’ equivocation led to weeks of backlash, Shafik focused her message on fighting antisemitism rather than protecting free speech.

“Antisemitism has no place on our campus, and I am personally committed to doing everything I can to confront it directly,” Shafik said in her opening comments.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/columbia-president-congress-israel-hamas-antisemitism-3255357b4443c1fb4bae8b8ea5774ee5