Biden urged to send in the National Guard to deal with anti-Israel protesters at Columbia as top lawmakers stand with Jewish students and demand school's president resign

Lawmakers are urging President Joe Biden send the National Guard to Columbia University as it deals with virulent, and at times violent, anti-Israel protests. 

A dueling coalition of Democrat and Republican lawmakers visited the university to condemn the anti-Semitic, pro-Palestinian protests and demanded the institution's president immediately resign.

The demonstrations have been ongoing since last Wednesday and have included outbreaks of violence and arrests, including the detainment of progressive 'Squad' member Ilhan Omar's daughter.

'The nascent pogroms at Columbia have to stop TODAY, before our Jewish brethren sit for Passover Seder tonight,' Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., posted on X Monday. 

'If Eric Adams won’t send the NYPD and Kathy Hochul won’t send the National Guard, Joe Biden has a duty to take charge and break up these mobs.'

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., similarly posted on X Monday, 'It’s time for Biden to call out the National Guard at our universities to protect Jewish Americans.'  

Additionally, Jewish Reps. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., Dan Golden, D-N.Y., and Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., and Kathy Manning, D-N.C., headed to the Ivy League university Monday after days of vicious anti-Israel protests.

Columbia University students wave Palestinian flags as protests engulf the campus

'I should be with my family today for Passover,' Moskowitz wrote on X. 'Instead, I’m here at [Columbia] University standing with Jewish students who are being harassed on their campus.'

'To the Columbia President, DO NOT make the same choice as the Presidents of UPenn and Harvard,' his post continued. 'Protect your students.'

New York Republican Reps. Anthony D'Esposito and Mike Lawler also spoke at an event outside of Columbia's campus. 

Lawler told a crowd near campus that Columbia University Monday that President Nemat 'Minouche' Shafik must 'resign in disgrace.'

'The fastest way for a ceasefire is to release hostages. Why are these people not calling for that? Palestinian people should be free – their oppressors are Hamas,' he said at the event. 

'People here at Columbia should resign,' Lawler added. 

D'Esposito also condemned the university, saying it should not receive federal funding if students are in danger. 

'If you cannot control what is happening at your university, if the president of this university is failing to keep students safe, well then she shouldn't be eligible for any federal aid coming into this university.' 

The two Republicans also noted a letter that they co-signed Monday alongside all other GOP members from the New York delegation. 

The letter, organized by Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., requested Shafik resign immediately for failing to crack down on 'a large unauthorized antisemitic riot,' according to a copy obtained by DailyMail.com.

The lawmakers' trip to Columbia came the same day that Shai Davidai - a Jewish Columbia professor - was locked out of the campus because the school could not keep him safe. 

'Earlier today, [Columbia] University refused to let me onto campus. Why? Because they cannot protect my safety as a Jewish professor. This is 1938,' he posted on X.

Last week the NYPD removed an encampment at the college on Thursday and arrested more than 100 demonstrators.

Tensions had been at boiling point since the protesters pitched tents on the university's south lawn early last Wednesday, with several fights breaking out as they were met by pro-Israeli counter-demonstrators.

For the fifth day, pro-Palestinian students occupied a central lawn on the Columbia University campus.

Dozens of New York Police Department officers have entered the so-called 'Gaza solidarity camp.'

The protests that began on Columbia University's campus have since spread to other schools

Pro-Israel demonstrators have held rallies in response to the ongoing anti-Israel protests

Over a hundred students have been charged so far, mostly with trespassing, while some received additional counts for resisting arrest and obstructing governmental administration.

Many of those participating in the protests have crafted signs and chants directly ridiculing Israel for its ongoing war with Hamas after the terrorist group launched a surprise massacre on the Jewish country on October 7, 2023. 

'Protesters on campus are targeting Jewish students,' Gottheimer posted on X Sunday.

'On top of that, they’re echoing the rhetoric of Hamas terrorists, who carried out the worst attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust.'

'Columbia must put an end to these hate-filled protests and protect students,' he continued.  

Goldman also has condemned the situation as 'unacceptable.'  

'The situation at Columbia [University] is unacceptable,' he wrote on X. 

'While everyone has a 1st Amendment right to protest, students do not have a right to threaten violence and cause fear within the Jewish community on campus.'

He said the university and NYPD 'must ensure a safe environment for all students.'

Moskowitz condemned the protests at Columbia, including 'chants for more war'

Pro-Palestinian protesters resume demonstrations at Columbia University on the fifth day of 'Gaza Solidarity Encampment' despite Columbia University previously urging law enforcement to arrest over 100 pro-Palestinian demonstrators

Republican Mike Lawler posted on X: 'If our colleges and universities can’t step up to ensure the safety of their students, we will step in.'

He wrote he was 'at Columbia to support Jewish students and condemn the antisemitic hate that’s been allowed on campus.'

The protests have become so virulent that a myriad of Democrat leaders have condemned the protests. 

'Students have a right to free speech, but do not have a right to violate university policies and disrupt learning on campus,' New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Sunday night.

'I am horrified and disgusted with the antisemitism being spewed at and around the Columbia University campus.'

'Hate has no place in our city, and I have instructed the NYPD to investigate any violation of law they receive a report about and will arrest anyone found to be breaking the law,' Adams continued. 

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said he was 'disgusted' by the antisemitism displayed at Columbia University over the past week

The White House also spoke out against the anti-Israel demonstrations.

'While every American has the right to peaceful protect, calls for violence and physical intimidation targeting Jewish students and the Jewish community are blatantly Antisemitic, unconscionable, and dangerous – they have absolutely no place on any college campus, or anywhere in the United States of America,' White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates said in a statement.