Senators Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) have called on President Joe Biden to deploy the National Guard to suppress pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University. The senators have accused the protesters of engaging in “nascent pogroms” against Jews, although there have been no reports of antisemitic violence stemming from the protests.
Biden has not responded to the demands, but Columbia University President Nemat Shafik has authorized the New York Police Department to clear an encampment of protesters occupying a central lawn of the campus. Dozens of protesters, many of them students, were arrested and indefinitely suspended.
The use of police force has sparked outrage among students and faculty, and has led to calls for Shafik’s resignation. On Monday, Columbia announced that it would conduct classes virtually, citing concerns over the safety of Jewish students.