Will Columbia Finally Be Held to Account?

Hat tip Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Algemeiner

Minouche Shafik (l) before Congress

 Yesterday, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, chaired by Virginia Foxx (R-NC), held a hearing in which administrators of Columbia University were called to testify, including Columbia President Minouche Shafik, who faced sharp questioning from the Republican members of the committee.

Also, yesterday, pro-Hamas students set up an encampment on Columbia's campus and ignored repeated university requests to disband. Today, Shafik called in the NYPD to remove the demonstrators. As I write, there are still volatile protests going on outside the gates of Columbia. Over 100 pro-Hamas demonstrators have been arrested by NYPD to date. The list includes Ilhan Omar's daughter, Isra Hirsi, who has reportedly been suspended by neighboring Barnard College, which is affiliated with Columbia. Omar (D-MN), ironically, sits on the same committee. Not surprisingly, her questions were primarily centered around her concern for the free speech rights of the pro-Hamas protesters at Columbia.

This is what years of anti-Semitic agitation on Columbia's campus have led to.

Yesterday's hearing was preceded by a press conference by Reps. Foxx and Elise Stefanik (R-NY), who were accompanied by Jewish students at Columbia who had come to Capitol Hill to testify about the anti-Jewish climate on their campus. Two of the students addressed reporters at this press conference.

While it is encouraging that Columbia has taken recent steps in the right direction, including having the NYPD break up the encampment on campus today, far too much has been allowed to take place over the past several years, especially since October 7, when Hamas committed the worst atrocity seen against the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Columbia professor, Joseph Massad, openly praised the attack as "awesome", while more recently, students held an unsanctioned forum "Resistance 101", in which Khaled Barakat, a known supporter, if not a member, of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a US-designated terror organization, was invited to speak.  (Four students have been suspended as a result) In fact, for several years, Columbia has consistently ranked among the nation's most anti-Semitic universities.

Massad, a tenured professor, originally from Jordan, is apparently under investigation by Columbia for the above statement, but it is unclear if he has, in fact, been removed from his position as chair of an academic committee.

Another professor, Mohamed Abdou, who has publicly stated his support for Hamas, is apparently on his way out the door, according to Shafik, who stated that he will never teach at  Columbia again. Here is what his bio on the Columbia website has to say about his academic expertise.

 “......a North African-Egyptian Muslim anarchist interdisciplinary activist-scholar of Indigenous, Black, critical race and Islamic studies, as well as gender, sexuality, abolition and decolonization.”

That says volumes about Columbia's academic mission.

But there is more. Columbia is also home to Rashid Khalidi and Hamid Dabashi, both noted for their anti-Israel activism, both long accused of anti-Semitic statements. Throw in the rest of the Middle East studies crowd, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), both suspended last November, and what you have at Columbia is a mess, for which the administration of this Ivy League university must take responsibility.

 Positive steps have been taken, but more are needed. If Shafik wants to keep her job, she needs to clean house at Columbia. The suspensions of SJP and JVP should be made permanent, and the university should take a close look at those who have stained the reputation of this university, both students and faculty. Is this what they want representing their university? 

While people certainly have the right to peacefully protest as long as they do not infringe on the rights of others, the campus and the streets outside the campus should not belong to supporters of Hamas. Once they cross the line and break the law, they should be removed and arrested. Disciplinary action from both the courts and the university should follow.

Belgian Mayor (Partially) Shuts Down Conservative Conference

Yesterday, a group of European conservative leaders gathered outside Brussels for a two-day conference. That didn't sit well with the municipal mayor, Emir Kir, who sent in the police. A few hours into the conference, police entered the hall and announced that whoever was outside the meeting room would not be allowed to re-enter. Those already inside continued the meeting.

That has caused an outcry from critics including the Premier of Belgium, Alexander De Croo, who termed the mayor's action unconstitutional.

The below article from Belgium's Dutch-language newspaper, De Standaard, is translated by Fousesquawk. The article is dated April 16, 2024.

https://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20240416_96307783

Police raid during conservative congress blows up in the face of Mayor Kir

Caption Mayor of Sint-Joost-ten-Node sends in officers to stop right-wing-conservative congress-De Standaard

By sending the police to disrupt a congress of rightwing conservatives in Sint-Joost, Mayor Emir Kir gave those present the chance to make their point about structural censorship in front of the cameras. Premier De Croo also called Kirs' action "unacceptable".

Today at 10:08, 

Pieter Van Maele 

"Belgium is bowing under the weight of sharia", said the French radical-right politician, Eric Zemmour, Tuesday afternoon. "It is once again clear that in Brussels, a dissenting voice cannot be heard," said Filip Dewinter (Vlaams Belang party). Brexit advocate Nigel Farage said, "This undemocratic behavior has now convinced me that Brexit was the only correct choice." Victor Orban, the Hungarian premier, tweeted that he was again reminded of his struggle against the communist regime in the 1980s. "We didn't give up then, and we shouldn't do that now."

All four were supposed to take part in the National Conservatism Conference (NatCon) in Brussels on Tuesday and Wednesday, a two-day right-wing conservative congress. That was originally supposed to take place in a hall in Brussels-City until the manager got wind of the content and canceled the event. Then the organizers switched to Etterbeek, where the same thing happened. On Tuesday morning, they were forced to settle on Claridge Hall in Sint-Joost-ten-Node. The manager of the hall said that after "consultation with his lawyer," he had decided the event could go forward.

Event not stopped

That was strictly against the wishes of Emir Kir (independent) the mayor of the Brussels municipality, who sent the police in Tuesday to put an "immediate" stop to the congress. He did that on the basis of a threat assessment by the anti-terrorist service, Ocad. De Standaard learned, in which there was a warning of a possible disruption, not just by the right-wing event itself, but also by extreme leftist counter-demonstrators. "Racists are not welcome in Brussels, nor in Etterbeek, nor in Sint-Joost," Kir also tweeted Tuesday.

Then around noon-Nigel Farage was speaking- a handful of police officers entered the hall, the meeting being in progress for some hours. That took place literally behind closed doors. On the thickly-sealed roll-down shutters hung a note with the telephone number of someone in the organizing Mathias Corvinus Collegium, a right-wing think tank from Hungary.

Caption: Eric Zemmour stated to the press, "Belgium is bowing under the weight of sharia."

The police did not completely stop the event. They did set up a cordon of about 20 riot police in front of the entrance to the hall. Whoever was outside the hall at that moment, like Zemmour, was not allowed back in by the officers. Inside, the congress went on virtually undisturbed.

"Unconstitutional"

If Kir thought that his demarche would put a damper on the organization, he achieved the opposite. Aside from the many strong expressions from right-wing leaders about the alleged censorship, parliamentary leaders from Vlaams Belang and the French Rassemblement National (until recently led by Marine LePen), for example, posed happily alongside riot police. 

It was recorded by cameras, among others, from Hir-TV, long one of the last critical news broadcasters in Hungary until the channel was bought up by one of Orban's supporters in 2018. And simultaneously with his declaration of Belgium as a "sharia state", on social media, an image was disseminated with a muzzled Zemmour. It stated, "The silencing imposed by a Belgian mayor of Turkish origin". 

Caption: Filip Dewinter (middle) posed next to assembled officers

But Premier Alexander De Croo also was critical on Tuesday about the action of Kir. He wrote on X (Twitter) that he found the action "unacceptable". "Municipal autonomy is a cornerstone of our democracy, but it can never push aside the Belgian constitution. Since 1830, it has guaranteed freedom of expression and guarantees the right of peaceful assembly. The banning of political meetings is unconstitutional. Period."

At about 5:30. some 50 far-left counter-demonstrators tried to get to the event hall, but they were stopped after a few hundred meters near the Madou Metro Station by police. It is as yet unclear if the 2nd day of the event will go on as planned. 

Iranian Missile Attack Fails: Hitler Reacts

 My latest Hitler Parody blockbuster!!

Another Knife Attack in Australia.

The attack

For the second time in a week, there has been a stabbing attack in Sydney, Australia. The first definitely appears to be a case of a mentally disturbed man (not a Muslim). This second attack that occurred today took place in an Assyrian church and the target was the bishop, who was giving a sermon. The attacker is only described in the Australian media as a 15-year-old male. The bishop, Mar Mari Emmanuel, is reportedly a critic of Islam. He has survived the attack. Others also sustained non-life-threatening cuts.

However, Jihad Watch is posting reports that the attacker when subdued was speaking in Arabic and according to Jihad Watch's information, was saying, "Why is he swearing at my prophet? I wouldn't have come here if he didn't bring my religion into this". It is also reported that one of the witnesses who tackled the attacker stated that he kept repeating, "Allahu akhbar" during the attack.

A riot broke out outside the church as police battled people who were outraged by the attack.

Scouring the Australian newspapers, it is hard to read entire articles since they all seem to have subscriber blocks. However, this appears to be a jihadist incident. It will be interesting to follow the Australian media's reportage on this story.

*Update (4-15-24): Australian authorities have announced that this is a terrorist attack motivated by religious extremism. They are also repeating rumors that the attacker had the fingers on one hand severed by parishioners. It has only been confirmed at this point that the suspect suffered injuries to one hand. 

Today is National Walkout Day (According to Students for Justice in Palestine)

 Breaking!!!!

Yes, folks, today has been proclaimed National Walkout Day (for Gaza), according to the little rascals at Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP). Accordingly, at UC Irvine, the entire student body is apparently expected to walk out of their classes and meet up somewhere in the vicinity of the Cross-Cultural Center (which is the SJP/Muslim Student Union clubhouse, for lack of a better description) at 12:30.

I assume the professors who belong to the recently-hatched Faculty for Justice in Palestine (FJP) will walk out as well. Maybe they will give speeches to the assembled masses. If so, you can expect them to preface their words by reminding the crowd that they are all standing on land stolen from the various indigenous tribes before going on to talk about Gaza.

Just another day at school.

*Update: The Big Walkout at UCI turned out to consist of a few dozen students. mostly females. They gathered outside the Cross-Cultural Center, and a handful of students gave the standard speeches about the "plight" of the Palestinian people, blah blah blah. They chanted the same old chants and scrawled Free Palestine messages on the sidewalk with chalk.

ZZZZZ.

France Gears up for Passover: Police on Alert

It's a sad commentary, but as Passover approaches, the French police are beefing up security for their Jewish citizens, especially in the wake of Iran's attack against Israel.

The below article from today's Le Figaro is translated by Fousesquawk.

 https://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/frappes-contre-israel-darmanin-demande-un-renforcement-de-la-securite-devant-lieux-de-culte-et-ecoles-juifs-20240414

Strikes against Israel: Darmanin asks for security reinforcement at places of worship and Jewish schools

By Le Figaro

Posted yesterday at 23:01

Caption: Minister of Interior Gerald Darmanin

At the approach of the Passover holidays, the Minister of Interior has asked prefects to provide a "stationary and visible" police presence in front of places of worship and " the most sensitive and emblematic" buildings.

On Sunday, the Minister of Interior, Gerald Darmanin, asked prefects to reinforce security in front of Jewish places of worship, as well as in front of religious schools, the day after the attack carried out by Iran against Israel and in anticipation of the Passover holidays. The minister is asking prefects to provide a "stationary and visible" presence of police in front of places of worship and "the most sensitive and emblematic" buildings.

"The security forces (police and Gendarmerie, editor's note), of course, cannot carry out these missions alone," the minister writes in a telegram dated Sunday. "You will also need to requisition the Sentinel soldiers for this purpose," he adds. On the approach of Passover, the Jewish Easter (22-30 April), he asks them to pay particular attention to the "religious services and gatherings that traditionally concentrate large numbers of people."

"Stationary Guards" and " regular visits"

The Minister of Interior is also asking that "stationary guards be placed in front of  religious schools (beginning) Monday, systematically, at the hours of pupils entering and leaving." Gerald Dramanin is also calling for the establishment of "regular visits by the police and Gendarmerie," at "specialized businesses".

This decision was taken due to the "very high level of terrorist threat", "the continuing high level of acts of an anti-Semitic character," and "the persistence of tensions at the international level, including the attack by Iran upon Israel," during the night of Saturday to Sunday, he detailed in the telegram.

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The Chemerinsky Incident: A Follow-up

 Hat tip Campus Reform

This past week, we reported on the unfortunate incident that occurred at  UC Berkeley Law School Dean Erwin Chemerinsky's home while he was hosting a dinner for his law students. As a follow-up, I am cross-posting an article by Campus Reform, which contains Chemerinsky's description of the incident. 

I have often been critical of Dean Chemerinsky, and as I have pointed out before, this is the type of law school he has created, just as he founded the UC Irvine Law School, of which I have been critical. but on this matter, I am fully on his side. What happened at his home was outrageous, but it is par for the course in how this pro-Palestinian crowd conducts itself. They are arrogant and insufferable. That this arrogant young woman would hijack an event at someone's home to make her political statement while refusing to leave and then have the nerve to berate Chemerinsky's wife, Catherine Fisk, for putting her hands on a "Muslim woman during Ramadan", is the height of chutzpah. It is typical of how pro-Palesatinain protesters are conducting themselves all over the nation. They have no regard for the rights of others, and they have no respect for our country at large.

As yet, I see no mention of this incident in UCB's campus newspaper, the Daily Californian, but I expect something to appear on Monday or Tuesday.

*Update: Here is what the Daily Californian has to say (April 15, 2024).

Faculty for Justice in Palestine Plans Big Strategy Session at UC Irvine

"What the hell do we do now?"

How timely is this?

The UC Irvine chapter of Faculty for Justice in Palestine (FJP) will be holding what they are terming a "resistance roundtable, strategy session, and mixer" to be held at UCI on Monday, April 15, from 5-7 pm at Humanities Gateway, room 1030. 

FJP was only recently formed by misfit professors around the nation to support  Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP). Senior brown shirts supporting junior brown shirts, you might say.

I don't know when this latest get-together was planned, but given Saturday's attack by Iran upon Israel,  the optics are even worse than usual with these confabs. Strategy? What strategy?

No doubt the Iranian attack will be justified by these characters. If they won't condemn what the butcher boys of Hamas did on October 7, don't expect them to condemn the mullahs of Iran. They will probably bemoan the fact that there were no deaths (as yet reported), and virtually all the missiles were shot down by Israelis, Americans, and Brits. Even the Jordanians were shooting them down. Ouch! That must sting. 

As for the mixer, does that mean free food and booze? Hmmm. 

Saddle my horse.

Prayers for Israel

As has been feared for days now, it appears that aerial drones have been launched at the Jewish state by Iran. The drones are expected to take hours to arrive, and Israel's planes are in the sky. Here at home, President Biden is meeting with his advisors. Hopefully, Biden will stand firm with Israel.

All we can say is that our prayers go out to Israel. I pray no Israeli lives are lost. This is a country fighting against the forces of barbarism on virtually every side.

Eventually, the civilized world is going to have to deal with Iran. Their hour of reckoning may be fast approaching.

Horrific Knife Attack in Australia

The attacker

-Daily Mail (UK)

There has been a horrific knife attack today in a shopping mall in a suburb of Sydney. What is known is that a lone attacker went on a rampage with a knife stabbing several people, killing 6 and wounding others, including a baby who is in critical condition. The baby's mother was killed.

As yet, the attacker has not yet been identified publicly though he is reportedly known to police. The police have further announced that they do not believe terrorism was involved. 

The Daily Mail (UK) has the report with several photos and videos, including videos of the incident itself (viewer warning).

We will await the identification of the attacker before commenting any further. 

*Update: Sydney police have announced that they are searching a storage facility. The spokesman adds that to date, there is no indication that the attack was related to any ideology, and that the suspect  had been suffering from mental illness. 

Stay tuned.

*Update: Police have identified the attacker as 40-year-old Joel Cauchi of Queensland.

 

UC Berkeley Law: Chemerinsky Learns the Hard Way

Hat tip The College Fix

l-r, Malak Afaneh, law professor (and homeowner) Catherine Fisk

UC Berkeley Law School Dean Erwin Chemerinsky, a classic liberal, learned the hard way just how insufferable, obnoxious, and arrogant, the pro-Palestinian mob can be.

While he was hosting a party at his home this week for third-year law students, a woman named Malak Afaneh, who identified herself as a Muslim Palestinian, stood with a microphone, apparently her own, and began to lecture the assembled guests about the horrible injustices allegedly being suffered by the Palestinian people. Mr Chemerinsky and his wife, UCB law professor Catherine Fisk, both asked the woman (and others) to leave their house, and she refused, continuing her diatribe, at least part of which was captured on video and posted by The College Fix.

I have written often about Law School Dean Chemerinsky and the leftist law school he founded at UC Irvine and his present leftist law school at UC Berkeley. As I have previously told him myself in written correspondence during a previous controversy with his students, this is his law school and the monster he created. He should not be surprised. Too bad they didn't call the police and press charges.

Here is more from US News.

Of course, the pro-Hamas crowd in Berkeley is up in arms, charging that Fisk put her hands on a hijabed Palestinian Muslim woman and that assault charges should be filed. Horse feathers! When you are asked to leave someone's house because you are disrupting a private party and you refuse, you are trespassing and I hope the woman is charged for such. 

As for Dean Erwin Chemerinsky, I hope that the scales are finally falling from his eyes.

Univ. of California Faculty Are Contributing to Explosion of Campus Anti-Semitism

 

My friend and colleague, Tammi Rossman-Benjamin of the Amcha Initiative and a former UC Santa Cruz professor), has written an op-ed in The Algemeiner blasting members of the University of California faculty on all UC campuses for their anti-Israel activism on the UC campuses. (Tammi specifically points out the newly-hatched Faculty for Justice in Palestine, organized to support the various chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine, a thuggish bunch of brown shirts, co-founded by UC Berkeley professor Hatem Bazian.) 

I am very aware of the problem and well-acquainted with several of these useful idiots. It is my belief that these faculty members, like their counterparts in universities all over the nation, are contributing to the explosion of campus anti-Semitism. (Ironically, a few are of Jewish background themselves. Go figure.)

There is also a petition letter to the UC Regents calling on them to address this problem. I have signed it, and I urge everyone to sign as well.