Columbia's anti-Israel protesters say Trump pulling $400M in grants from university is a 'scare tactic'

A radical of anti-Israel pupil protesters astatine Columbia University connected Saturday criticized the Trump administration's determination to rescind much than $400 cardinal successful national grants to the assemblage implicit its alleged nonaccomplishment to code antisemitism connected field during demonstrations held successful the aftermath of Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, onslaught against Israel.

The pupil group, Columbia University Apartheid Divest, responded connected societal media Saturday nighttime for the archetypal clip since the announcement of the administration's decision, which the radical slammed arsenic a "transparent scare tactic."

"The Trump administration's announcement that it plans to cancel $400 cardinal successful national grants and contracts to Columbia is simply a transparent scare tactic," the radical wrote connected an Instagram slideshow. "The determination has thing to bash with the fabricated charges of antisemitism they are utilizing arsenic a bladed screen to slash funding."

"The national authorities is erstwhile again attempting to prolong the US-backed genocide and taste cleansing of Palestinians successful Gaza and the West Bank by redirecting outrage from the US's relation successful genocide to the decolonial pupil protesters who it baselessly labels antiemetic," the station continued.

COLUMBIA READY TO WORK WITH TRUMP TO BOLSTER DISCIPLINARY PROCESS THAT WAS 'ONLY ON PAPER'

Student protesters march astir their encampment connected the Columbia University campus, Monday, April 29, 2024, successful New York.  (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

The radical said the past 2 months of a "hack job" by President Donald Trump and his elder advisor Elon Musk to "destroy nationalist institutions" has "made wide that the billionaires successful authorities are systematically dismantling each instauration that doesn't privately enrich them."

The university’s interim president, Katrina Armstrong, responded to Trump's backing cuts connected Friday by saying that the assemblage takes the cuts "very seriously" and is prepared to enactment with the national authorities connected its "legitimate concerns."

"When I accepted the relation of Interim President successful August 2024, I knew Columbia needed a reset from the erstwhile twelvemonth and the chaos of encampments and protests connected our campus," Armstrong wrote. "The University besides needed to admit and repair the harm to our Jewish students, who were targeted, harassed, and made to consciousness unsafe oregon unwelcome connected our field past spring."

TRUMP CUTS MORE THAN $400 MILLION IN GRANTS TO COLUMBIA OVER ANTISEMITISM CONCERNS, POTENTIALLY MORE TO COME

Columbia University, wherever students person acceptable up what is being referred to arsenic a Gaza Solidarity Encampment, is shown successful New York connected April 24, 2024. (Getty Images)

The pupil protesters asked successful their Instagram post, "President Armstrong who bash you serve?"

The radical said the assemblage has spent the past 17 months "appeasing Zionists and fascists," which it said includes consenting to cutting diversity, equity and inclusion programs, expanding surveillance and adjacent expulsion of pro-Palestinian students, "brutally" arresting protesters "at the whim of affluent donors' WhatsApp chats" and firing pro-Palestinian workers.

The pupil protesters said the assemblage besides rejected their calls to divest from Israel.

Pro-Palestine students show connected Columbia University’s field successful New York City connected Thursday, April 18, 2024. (Peter Gerber for Fox News Digital)

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The societal media station featured respective slides, including 1 that said "Zionists volition ne'er emotion you" and different that called for "organized absorption to evident injustice."