• ‘Weaponizing anti-Semitism’? US Targets 60 universities with funding cu

    From NefeshBarYochai@21:1/5 to All on Tue Mar 11 23:34:48 2025
    XPost: talk.politics.guns, alt.home.repair.aus.politics, nz.politics

    In what critics describe as the weaponisation of anti-Semitism to wage
    an ideological war on higher education using Jewish fear as cover, the
    US government has warned 60 universities and colleges that they could
    face cuts to federal funding over allegations of failing to protect
    Jewish students from anti-Semitic harassment. The move follows an
    increase in tensions on campuses across the country, with universities
    such as Columbia, Harvard, Yale and Berkeley among those under
    scrutiny over allegations of anti-Semitism.

    In letters sent to universities, the US federal government warned of
    “potential enforcement actions” if institutions did not take
    sufficient measures to guarantee Jewish students’ safety and ensure
    their uninterrupted access to education. A statement from the Office
    for Civil Rights said: “U.S. colleges and universities benefit from
    enormous public investments funded by U.S. taxpayers. That support is
    a privilege and is contingent on scrupulous adherence to federal anti-discrimination laws.”

    The funding threat comes shortly after the administration of President
    Donald Trump announced it would cut approximately $400 million in
    federal grants to Columbia University, citing its “continued inaction
    in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students.” Columbia has
    been a focal point of pro-Palestinian protests, with demonstrators
    criticizing Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza. Over the weekend,
    federal agents arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian graduate student
    at Columbia. Khalil, a prominent organizer of campus protests, was
    accused of “activities aligned with Hamas,” a claim repeated by Trump administration officials, including the president himself.

    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20250311-weaponising-anti-semitism-us-targets-60-universities-with-funding-cuts-amid-campus-crackdown/

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