It's hard to imagine New York Jews voting for Governor Kathy Hochul or Mayor Eric Adams again. The charade that is unfolding at Columbia University has exposed the forces at play inside the once-venerated institution.
Firstly, calling the protest "peaceful" is now off the table. Three Jewish students who allegedly work as janitors on campus were held against their will and assaulted last night. Next, referring to the protesters as "students" is incorrect. While some of the protesters in masks and keffiyehs are students, the ones giving orders are hired hands. They are paid by the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights, an organization funded by George Soros.
Nationally, the campus protesters have used similar tactics: rushing to quickly erect tent encampments, shouting identical chants, covering their faces, and refusing to speak to media. The reason for that uncanny level of coordination--reminiscent of nationwide George Floyd-inspired riots--appears to be the same activists at work.
Critics of the protest have noted for several days that the assembled throngs on campuses across the country have similar tents and signage. The reasons for that uniformity are increasingly clear. Yes, student organizers such as Khymani James--who was banned from campus due to an anti-Zionist video he posted online--are part of the hierarchy.
But so are professional protest organizers such as Lisa Fithian. Fithian, 63, has been spotted on campus on multiple occasions directing the efforts of protesters.
Still, despite this level of organization, these campus uprisings can be subdued, and quickly. One need only look to the Univ. of Minnesota, the Univ. of Texas, or the Univ. of Florida to see that paid agitators are no match for aggressive police intervention.
Therefore, the Columbia protest is proceeding with the implicit blessing of Mayor Adams and Gov. Hochul. The former could end the protest by ordering police to take back Hamilton Hall, the university building broken into and commandeered by protesters. The latter could end things quickly as well by ordering the NY National Guard to intervene. Finally, Columbia president Minouche Shafik could hold up her end of the bargain by allowing police or guardsmen onto campus.
To achieve this level of controlled chaos requires teamwork. And Shafik, Adams, and Hochul are on the same team, as evidenced by the fact that all of the criminal charges brought against the protesters who broke into Hamilton Hall have been dropped.
The New York Times, eager to normalize the protests, wrote this morning about five other instances when Hamilton Hall has been taken by student protesters. Perhaps the organizers of this inorganic protest thought that taking the same building would lend an air of legitimacy to the proceedings.
Of note, the protesters hung a banner from the front of the hall named for Alexander Hamilton. The new name over the entrance to the building is "Hind's Hall", in honor of Hind Rajab, a young girl killed by the IDF.
We know the protesters are paid up front. The question is, will they be paid after the job is done as well? It wouldn't be the first time nationally, or even here in New York. BLM protesters who rioted, looted, and vandalized NYC businesses were paid $21,000 each in a large settlement because police used tear gas and zip ties to subdue the criminals.
You say: "..these campus uprisings can be subdued, and quickly..paid agitators are no match for aggressive police intervention." I'm sorry, but no. Soros' paid agitators are a symptom of the rot, not the cause which is much deeper and more insidious. BLM, Antifa, Black Panthers, Weather Underground etc. are child's play compared to groups like SJP. The same philosphy that spawned Hamas has infected U.S. academia. Police intervention won't stop this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnCCCNvyf8I