In a post on X, Columbia University assistant professor Shai Davidai reported that he received a message from Chief Operation Officer Cas Holloway saying he has been allowed back on campus after a month of being denied entry due to safety concerns.
“No apology. No explanation,” the Israeli professor of social psychology wrote in the post. “I believe this is a perfect example of ‘too little, too late.’”
On April 23, Davidai‘s security card was deactivated and campus security prevented Davidai from entering the main campus due to the possibility of being harmed by violent pro-Palestinian protesters who had illegally camped on the main lawn.
In response to Holloway, Davidai wrote: “I hope that one day, when you get a chance to reflect back on the past seven months, you will realize how morally wrong it was to deny me entry to campus and your own personal responsibility in doing so.”
He continued, “I hope that the administration realizes that just because the symptom (i.e., the illegal encampment) has been treated for now, it doesn’t mean that you have dealt with the root cause.”
I was just informed by the COO of @Columbia that beginning tomorrow, I will be granted entry to main campus.
— Shai Davidai (@ShaiDavidai) May 19, 2024
No apology. No explanation.
I believe this a perfect example of "too little, too late".
Nevertheless, I am still willing to work with this administration to fight… pic.twitter.com/9xpgqyZQXN
He pointed to the university’s congressional investigation and two civil rights lawsuits while warning Holloway that Jewish students do not feel safe on campus and that “the school needs to come up with a concrete plan on how to deal with the pro-Hamas professors and the pro-Hamas organizations.”
A day after he was barred from entering the university’s main campus, Davidai said, “There is a process of brainwashing here with doctrine. Like how lawyers, doctors, and journalists in Germany suddenly supported the extermination of Jews and Hitler. We’re talking about students and faculty who underwent a brainwashing process.
“This is indeed a similar process to what happened in Germany, but it is more accelerated due to social media and because the universities have given it their seal of approval,” he said.
“Right now, the university is negotiating with terrorists, and we can’t know what will happen next,” Davidai said. “The university is not clearing the illegal encampments because it is negotiating with the protest leaders. These ‘leaders’ are brainwashing the protesters, taking their phones and forbidding them from speaking to the media, while the university administration negotiates with these Hamasniks.”
Most Jewish students “already started leaving campus between Saturday and Sunday; they were simply afraid and fled,” he said. “They were afraid for their lives, just like that.
“Most of them don’t want to return to campus and I don’t blame them. I also don’t feel comfortable. I don’t go near there, I saw the brainwashing that’s going on there, and it’s clear the university can’t vouch for my safety. There are currently people on campus holding signs saying, ‘We support Hamas rockets, the Al-Qassam Brigades, here is your next target,’ with an arrow pointing at Jewish students. I’m not letting them try this on me.”
Originally published by Israel Hayom.
