Legislators call on Hochul to ban anti-Jew group from NY campuses
'This is a civil rights issue,' legislators said.
There are at least 30 of these groups currently operating at 21 New York colleges.
In a letter to New York Governor Kathy Hochul, a bipartisan group of legislators called to ban Hamas-supporting organization Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) from college campuses in the state. There are at least 30 of these groups currently operating at 21 New York colleges.
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In the letter, the legislators state that the group has “spewed hate and endorsed violence, from NY college campuses.” Indeed, Campus Reform has reported several instances of the national group promoting violence and anti-Semitism, including a “Day of Resistance” held by the group’s national chapter just five days after Hamas’ attack on Israel.
The legislators went on to say that “[t]his is a civil rights issue, it is an equal protection of the law issue, and it calls for bold action and moral courage. Jewish students have a right to an education free from persecution, harassment, intimidation, and threats to their physical safety.”
In October, Hochul acknowledged the problem of anti-Semitism on campus following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, announcing that the City University of New York system would undergo a state-issued review of its anti-Semitism policies.
”We will take on the antisemitism we have seen on college campuses. The problem didn’t begin with the weeks following the Oct. 7 attacks,” Hochul said. “It’s been growing on a number of campuses and seen most acutely in the City University of New York.”
City University of New York campuses are home to many active SJP chapters.
[RELATED: Over 100 university presidents, chancellors sign letter condemning Hamas]
Campus snti-Semitism watchdog AMCHA maintains a database of “anti-Zionist” groups at universities nationwide, including 30 student groups affiliated with Students for Justice in Palestine at 21 public and private universities in New York.
New York Students for Justice in Palestine groups:
Bard College
Colgate University
Columbia University/Barnard College
Columbia Law Students for Palestine
DAR Palestine at Columbia University
Columbia Law Coalition for a Free Palestine
Columbia Social Workers for Palestine
Cornell University
CUNY Brooklyn College
CUNY City College
CUNY Staten Island
CUNY Hunter
Silberman Social Workers for Palestine
Palestine Solidarity Alliance at Hunter
CUNY John Jay
CUNY Lehman
CUNY Queens
CUNY School of Law
Fordham University
Fordham Palestine Solidarity Network
Le Moyne College
New York University
NYU Law Students for Justice in Palestine
Sarah Lawrence College
St. John’s University
SUNY Binghamton
SUNY Fashion Institute of Technology
The New School
Vassar College
