Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez claims Columbia University's 'heinous failure of leadership' is risking lives and slams 'reckless and dangerous' threats to call in cops on anti-Israel protesters

AOC has slammed Columbia University for its decision to call the cops on an encampment of anti-Israel protestors who are calling for the school to cut ties with companies profiting from conflict in the Middle East. 

Squad member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, 34, weighed in on the Ivy League University's threats to call NYPD on students after they failed to dismantle their protests before their midnight deadline.

'Calling in police enforcement on nonviolent demonstrations of young students on campus is an escalatory, reckless, and dangerous act,' she wrote in a post on X. 

'It represents a heinous failure of leadership that puts people’s lives at risk. I condemn it in the strongest possible terms.' 

Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine released a statement claiming the university threatened to call the National Guard on them on Tuesday evening after President Minouche Shafik announced there is a midnight deadline for protesters to reach an agreement and dismantle their encampment.

Squad member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez(pictured), 34, weighed in on the Ivy League University's threats to call NYPD on students after they failed to dismantle their protests before the midnight deadline

Students raise hands to indicate whether they might be willing to take actions that could lead to arrest ahead of a midnight deadline set by Columbia President

Students break down tents ahead of a midnight deadline set by Columbia President for student protesters to leave the protest encampment

'Columbia University threatened CUAD negotiators to call both the National Guard and NYPD if we do not acquiesce to their demands,' the group said.

'The student negotiating team has left the table and refuses to return until there is a written commitment that the administration will not be unleashing the NYPD or the National Guard on its students.'

The Ivy League saw its seventh day of protests on Tuesday as students stage a sit-in to demand the university divest from companies profiting from Israel's war and sever academic ties with its universities.

Anti-Israel protesters were arrested outside of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's Brooklyn home on Tuesday night. 

Fellow New York City congressman and 'Squad' member Jamaal Bowman, 48, agreed with AOC. 'I condemn any potential police action on Columbia University's campus,' he posted.

'As an educator who personally experienced the over policing of our schools, this is personal to me,' he continued. 'We must resist right-wing demagoguery and stop suppressing peaceful protest if we are to keep students safe.'

The daughter of 'Squad' member Rep. Ilhan Omar was arrested and then later suspended for taking part in anti-Israel demonstrations on Columbia's campus.

Isra Hirsi, 21, was part of a now days-long protest on the campus of Columbia University in support of Palestine that has drawn heavy condemnation from both sides of the political spectrum, including the White House.

She and two of her Barnard College classmates - the college is a sister school with Columbia - are among the more than 100 protestors have been arrested, an NYPD spokesperson confirmed to DailyMail.com.

Squad' Congresswoman Ilhan Omar's daughter Isra Hirsi(pictured), 21, was part of a now days-long protest on the campus of Columbia University in support of Palestine

Pro-Palestine group Within Our Lifetime posted to X, formerly Twitter, calling on protesters to return to the university's lawn before the deadline

Columbia University President Minouche Shafik (pictured) announced there is a midnight deadline for pro-Palestine protesters to dismantle their encampment

Hirsi says she has been evicted from campus housing and banned from the dining hall following the arrest. 

The demonstration escalated again on Monday during the Jewish holiday of Passover when staff and students walked out in protest over the NYPD being called in to control protests.

The university president said a group of faculty, administrators and University Senators have been negotiating with the student organizers and set a midnight deadline to reach an agreement to dismantle the encampment.

'I very much hope these discussions are successful. If they are not, we will have to consider alternative options for clearing the West Lawn,' said Shafik. 

'The encampment raises serious safety concerns, disrupts campus life, and has created a tense and hostile environment for our community. It is essential that we move forward with a plan to dismantle it,' Shafik said.

'I also want to be clear that we will not tolerate intimidating, harassing, or discriminatory behavior. We are working to identify protestors who violated our policies against discrimination and harassment, and they will be put through appropriate disciplinary processes.'  

Shafik has been facing mounting calls to resign because she has 'surrendered control to the anti-Semitic fringe' and allowed 'anarchy' after she canceled all in-person classes until the end of the semester. 

On Tuesday, two Jewish graduates of Columbia University snuck into the campus pro-Palestine encampment with Israeli flags and accused activists of ‘supporting radical Islamic terrorism’.

The Ivy League saw its seventh day of protests on Tuesday as students stage a sit-in to demand the university divest from companies profiting from Israel's war and sever academic ties with its universities 

Two Jewish graduates of Columbia University snuck into the campus pro-Palestine encampment with Israeli flags and accused activists of ‘supporting radical Islamic terrorism’

Isidore Karten and his friend, Tomer Brenner, who gained access to the encampment on Tuesday afternoon, also carried a poster with pictures of Israelis kidnapped by Hamas on October 7. They were confronted by protesters and asked to leave but refused and spent several hours in the encampment staging their own counter protest.

Both told DailyMail.com that the encampment should be immediately removed by university leadership and accused pro-Palestine activists of making Jewish students feel unsafe.

The encampment has been set up on the South Lawn of Columbia’s Upper West Side campus for around a week. Students involved in the action have refused to leave until the university commits to ending any investments which are linked to Israel.