Alan Dershowitz condemned Columbia University on Newsmax Monday for failing to protect its employees from violent student protesters.
Columbia University janitors sued more than 40 students and outside agitators for allegedly assaulting, battering and holding them hostage during the violent takeover of Hamilton Hall last spring, according to documents reviewed by The Free Press. During an appearance on “The Record with Greta Van Susteren,” Dershowitz said that Columbia University must bear responsibility for allowing its students to “intimidate, attack and assault” janitors who were simply doing their jobs.
“I also think Columbia University is to blame for not protecting their employees and for allowing their students to intimidate and attack and assault janitors. We don’t even know if these janitors had any views about the Israel-Palestine conflict,” Dershowitz said.
Dershowitz then asked why no criminal prosecutions have been pursued against students who allegedly committed acts of violence and unlawful detention.
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“I wonder why there weren’t criminal prosecutions of these kidnappers. If they indeed assaulted people and if they held them against their will, I know people who’ve gone to jail for a year or two for less than that. I wonder why there are no criminal prosecutions, and I wonder why Columbia University is not included among the defendants in this case. It’s their fault that this was allowed to happen on their watch,” Dershowitz added.
Dershowitz said that Columbia should not have permitted masks at protests and should have demanded full public disclosure of the students’ identities to ensure accountability.
“Their names should be publicly disclosed. Masks should not be allowed,” Dershowitz said. “And the public should understand that these are bullies. These are not good people. These are not people that should be hired or admitted to other universities for further degrees. These are thugs. And the thugs should be held accountable and responsible for their conduct.”
Columbia University became a focal point for pro-Palestinian protests that spread across more than 30 universities in the United States. Last year, pro-Palestinian activists set up unauthorized encampments at Columbia University near the end of the spring semester, demanding the school cut financial ties with Israel over its military response to the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks. In April, dozens of protesters were arrested after they seized Hamilton Hall, but by June the Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg dropped most of the charges against them.
Earlier in March, Columbia University changed its tune and announced it would prioritize fighting antisemitism after the federal government canceled nearly $400 million in funding over concerns about the university’s handling of harassment against Jewish students. Interim President Katrina Armstrong told the Columbia community that the university would work with the Trump administration to address the issue and said that discrimination and harassment violate the school’s core values.
Armstrong said in an email that combating antisemitism would now be Columbia’s top priority. Federal agencies warned that more funding cuts could follow unless the university takes stronger steps to protect Jewish students.
(Featured Image Media Credit: Screenshot/Newsmax)
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