NEW YORK, March 8, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - President Donald Trump's administration
said Friday it was cutting $400 million in federal grants to Columbia
University, accusing it of failing to protect Jewish students from harassment
as protesters rallied against Israel's conduct of the Gaza war.

Four government agencies announced in a statement "the immediate cancellation
of approximately $400 million in federal grants and contracts to Columbia
University due to the school's continued inaction in the face of persistent
harassment of Jewish students."

Trump said this week that he would cut funding for schools that allow
"illegal protests," his latest threat to turn off the flow of federal money
to the country's education system.

US campuses including Columbia's were rocked last year by student protests
against Israel's war in Gaza following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack. The
demonstrations ignited accusations of anti-Semitism.

Protests, some of which turned violent and saw campus buildings occupied and
lectures disrupted, pitted students protesting Israel's conduct against pro-
Israel campaigners, many of whom were Jewish.

Protests continued at Columbia this week when on Tuesday more than 200 pro-
Palestinian protesters gathered to demonstrate against former Israeli prime
minister Naftali Bennett, who was at the campus for a speaking engagement.

"All Federal Funding will STOP for any College, School, or University that
allows illegal protests," Trump wrote Tuesday on his platform Truth Social.

- 'Anti-Semitic harassment' -

"Agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from
which they came. American students will be permanently expelled or, depending
on ...the crime, arrested," the post continued.

Friday's statement, issued by the US General Services Administration, said
the cuts were the "first round of action" -- and that additional cancelations
to the around $5 billion of federal grant commitments to Columbia are
expected to follow.

"Since October 7, Jewish students have faced relentless violence,
intimidation, and anti-Semitic harassment on their campuses -- only to be
ignored by those who are supposed to protect them," said Secretary of
Education Linda McMahon.

"Universities must comply with all federal anti-discrimination laws if they
are going to receive federal funding," she said.

"For too long, Columbia has abandoned that obligation to Jewish students
studying on its campus. Today, we demonstrate to Columbia and other
universities that we will not tolerate their appalling inaction any longer."

The university did not respond to a request for comment.

Last month, the Department of Justice announced the formation of a multi-
agency task force to combat anti-Semitism.

"The Task Force's first priority will be to root out anti-Semitic harassment
in schools and on college campuses," the DoJ said in a statement.