Defending Democracy: The Case for Defunding Columbia

Campus protests have long shaped America’s cultural and political landscape. From women’s suffrage to the civil rights movement, students have been catalysts for justice. The Vietnam War protests, though controversial, were rooted in democratic ideals.

But the anti-Israel protests that have engulfed universities since Hamas’s brutal October 7, 2023, attacks against Israel are of a different nature entirely. They have not been peaceful or democratic. Instead, they have been fueled by hate, intimidation, and violence—threatening the very freedoms their organizers claim to defend.

Now, President Trump’s decision to revoke $400 million in federal funding from Columbia University is being met with outrage. But it is a necessary step to preserve the integrity of American institutions. This is not an attack on free speech—it is a defense of it, ensuring that campuses do not become breeding grounds for extremism and threats against Jewish students or any other group.

It is crucial to distinguish between genuine advocacy and the hate-fueled spectacles that have hijacked campuses. These protests have not been about peaceful dissent or constructive dialogue. Instead, they have been defined by violent mobs storming buildings, professors legitimizing bigotry, and students openly glorifying terrorism. References to the Holocaust have been invoked carelessly, while symbols of hate have tainted these gatherings.

What may have begun as a democratic exercise in critiquing Israeli policies has devolved into rallies steeped in the rhetoric of genocide and annihilation. Chants of “Globalize the Intifada” and banners depicting the Israeli flag in flames are now commonplace. At Columbia, student leader Mahmoud Khalil even referred to Hamas’s October 7 attacks as “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood,” the very term Hamas uses to celebrate the slaughter of innocent civilians.

Hate speech is protected under the First Amendment, but only to a point. Legal precedent (Brandenburg v. Ohio, 1969; Virginia v. Black, 2003) makes it clear: speech that incites violence, constitutes a true threat, or amounts to harassment is not protected. These campus demonstrations check every one of those boxes. Universities, charged with shaping the next generation, have utterly failed to maintain a safe learning environment.

The most alarming aspect of these protests is how they have imported not just the Middle Eastern conflict, but the Middle Eastern tradition to persecute its Jews. Jewish students have been harassed, physically blocked from classrooms, and subjected to open calls for Israel’s destruction… in the heart of New York. Barnard College’s historic Milbank Hall was stormed by masked demonstrators, and many Jewish students now fear attending class or simply walking through their own campuses.

The consequences are chilling. According to the Anti-Defamation League, antisemitic incidents on U.S. campuses surged by 321% following these protests, while the country as a whole saw a 200% spike. This hatred is not confined to academia—it is spilling into the streets, poisoning public discourse, and normalizing violence.

Universities should be sanctuaries of knowledge, not arenas for mob rule. They should encourage rigorous debate, not embolden extremism. Yet elite institutions—Columbia, Harvard, Penn, Berkeley, and even my own alma mater, McGill—have allowed radical ideology to flourish under the guise of “academic freedom.”

Some claim that cutting federal funding violates free speech. But what is truly unconstitutional and un-American is allowing a minority group to be targeted while administrators look the other way. Free speech is fundamental, but it is not absolute. It does not extend to incitement, threats, or harassment.

By revoking funding, Trump is sending a clear message: institutions that abandon democratic values will no longer be rewarded with taxpayer dollars. This is not an attack on education—it is a defense of it.

History has repeatedly shown that when antisemitism is left unchecked, it does not remain confined to Jewish communities—it spreads like wildfire. The Jewish people have long been the canaries in the coal mine; when hate against them flourishes, broader societal decay follows.

These protests did not champion peace or human rights. They did not call for the release of hostages or demand democratic reform within Palestinian leadership. Instead, they glorified destruction, deepened racial and religious divides, and undermined the very freedoms that define America.

If universities refuse to act, then it is up to leaders like Trump to step in. The future of democracy depends on it.

Margaux Chetrit is a writer, public speaker and entrepreneur.  She is a former parliamentary intern in Israel’s Knesset. From 2008-2015, she served at the Consulate General of Israel in Montreal.