The College Fix

Jewish students and professors criticize the apology from Columbia University’s president concerning the use of New York Police Department officers to halt a pro-Palestinian encampment

Columbia University President Katrina Armstrong said she is “really sorry” last week to the anti-Israel protesters who were “hurt” when the New York Police Department dispersed their encampments in the spring.

The Columbia Spectator asked Armstrong (pictured) if she agreed with the former university president’s decision to allow NYPD to sweep the encampments and arrest protesters after they refused to cooperate with authorities and damaged a building.

“I know that this is tricky for me to say, but I do understand that I sit in this job, right,” Armstrong said.

“And so if you could just let everybody know who was hurt by that, that I’m just incredibly sorry,” she said.

“And I know it wasn’t me, but I’m really sorry…I saw it, and I’m really sorry,” she said. “I see the harm that happened.”

Armstrong told the student newspaper the Inclusive Public Safety Advisory Committee will address concerns over allowing police arrest authority on campus. This committee, established in July 2020, was created “to rethink policing in response to calls for racial justice,” according to the Spectator.

Shai Davidai, a Columbia Business School assistant professor, criticized Armstrong’s apology and questioned her priorities in addressing campus issues.

“Did she apologize to the Jewish and Israeli students who were terrorized for months on campus?” he wrote in a post on X.

“No. She apologized to the students who *broke the rules and faced consequences*,” he wrote.

Similarly, Steven McGuire, the Paul and Karen Levy Fellow in Campus Freedom at the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, posted to X stating, “The protestors broke the law. They occupied a building. Antisemitism ran wild.”

“The main graduation had to be canceled. The campus is still in partial lockdown. There has already been more vandalism this semester. And she’s apologizing? She should be promising to do it again if necessary,” McGuire stated.

Columbia students and alumni have also condemned the president’s apology, according to the New York Post.

“Instead of apologizing to the antisemitic protesters, [Armstrong] should be apologizing to the Jewish students for failing to protect them from relentless discrimination and harassment,” a student named Maya Cukierman stated.

“Why is she apologizing?” Ari Shrage, who leads the school Jewish alumni association, told the student newspaper.

“An apology sends the message that there shouldn’t be consequences for breaking the rules,” he said. “This is exactly the opposite of what Columbia needs now.”

In April, the NYPD arrested more than 200 students on campus after they refused to take break up their encampments. Protesters took over a school building, smashed windows, broke down doors, and barricaded themselves inside, as previously reported by The College Fix.

As a result, Columbia University may hire “peace officers” with the authority to arrest protesters. 

The proposal, introduced under former President Minouche Shafik, aims to improve campus safety and security training. While some faculty and staff support the initiative, it has sparked opposition from groups like Columbia University Apartheid Divest, who argue it would increase policing on campus.

MORE: Columbia’s fall semester kicks off with vandalism, anti-Israel protest

IMAGE: Columbia University/Youtube

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