Most of the protests on U.S. universities "are more anti-American than they are even anti-Israel," and those participating in them should be "held accountable," Alan Dershowitz, Harvard law professor emeritus, told Newsmax on Monday.
"Israel is just the current excuse for going after America. But these are not only students, but faculty members who wear masks because they're so ashamed and embarrassed about what they're doing," Dershowitz said on "Newsline."
"They have to be subject to the rule of law. Columbia should pass a regulation saying nobody is allowed on campus without ID and with a mask, no masks permitted. If you want to protest under the First Amendment, you have to reveal yourself. Speech is not free. It's protected by the First Amendment, but you are accountable for it."
The Trump administration said Friday that it's pulling $400 million from Columbia University, canceling grants and contracts because of what the government describes as the Ivy League school's failure to squelch antisemitism on campus.
The notice came five days after federal agencies announced they were considering orders to stop work on $51 million in contracts with the New York City university and reviewing its eligibility for over $5 billion in federal grants going forward. And it came after Columbia set up a new disciplinary committee and ramped up its own investigations into students critical of Israel, alarming free speech advocates.
Dershowitz last week hailed the move, telling Newsmax "this is just the beginning."
"It has to apply to all these fake departments, whether they be racially or gender-oriented departments," he said.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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