Three of the “Squad” members — Democrat Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jamaal Bowman of New York and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota — have been hit with a class-action lawsuit for “inciting and encouraging” the anti-Israeli protests and chaos at Columbia University, the New York Post reported on Saturday.
Columbia made international news in April when pro-Palestinian demonstrators broke into Hamilton Hall, resulting in dozens of arrests following a large-scale police operation. In late June, the city of New York dropped all criminal charges against the protesters.
The three high-profile Democrats were among the most visible lawmakers who sided with the pro-Palestinian encampments and warned authorities to dial back any form of discipline.
“If any kid is hurt tonight, responsibility will fall on the mayor and univ presidents,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote in April adding, “a nightmare in the making.”
Five anonymous students filed a class-action suit this week against at least a dozen groups, including Ocasio-Cortez, Bowman, and Omar, whose college-aged daughter Isra Hirsi was arrested at one of the Columbia encampments. The lawsuit notes that all three lawmakers trespassed on campus in April “and participated in the encampment,” when access to campus was supposed to be limited to those with student identification.
“The Gaza Encampment was extreme and outrageous conduct. It was illegal. It violated university rules. Its occupants harassed, followed, physically blocked, intimidated, and bullied Jewish students,” the students said in the litigation.
The protests and their vocal supporters “not only consciously disregarded the rights of others, but the impact on the rights of others was the point of the protest: the more disruption [they] could cause for the University and the [students], the more leverage they thought they would have for their agenda,” according to the lawsuit.
Two of the five plaintiffs are Jewish. All noted that they filed anonymously because they were too afraid by protesters' words and actions to give their real names. “Tim Doe,” also a Jewish sophomore, left campus early “because he did not feel safe.”
“During the protests, I witnessed numerous offensive and antisemitic signs and messages, including antisemitic skunk posters with the Star of David,” he told the outlet.
The plaintiffs noted in court documents, “In a civilized community, one does not call for the obliteration of a major metropolitan area, praise terrorists, or threaten death and destruction upon our classmates and their families, friends, and coreligionists.”
Ultimately, the protests lasted more than two weeks and forced the cancellation of in-person classes, final exams, and the university’s commencement ceremony.
None of the lawmakers responded to the outlet’s request for comment.