Alan Dershowitz blasts Columbia: Pro-Hamas thugs attacked vulnerable workers

Legal scholar Alan Dershowitz sharply criticized Columbia University’s administration during a Monday appearance on Newsmax’s “The Record with Greta Van Susteren,” accusing the institution of failing to protect both its Jewish students and its most vulnerable employees, particularly janitors. His remarks follow a lawsuit filed by dozens of Columbia janitors against over 40 students and external agitators, who allegedly assaulted, battered, and held them hostage during the anti-Israel takeover of Hamilton Hall last spring.

Dershowitz expressed outrage over the university’s inaction, stating, “Columbia is to blame for not protecting their employees and for allowing students to intimidate, attack, and assault janitors, who may not even have views on the Israel-Gaza conflict.” He questioned why the university was not named in the lawsuit, arguing that the administration’s negligence enabled the incident. He also criticized Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for dropping most charges against the protesters arrested in April, noting that similar acts of assault and kidnapping typically result in significant jail time.

Dershowitz called for stricter measures, including banning masks to reveal protesters’ identities and ensuring accountability for those involved. “These are thugs, not good people,” he said, urging that their actions should bar them from future employment or academic opportunities. He emphasized that Columbia’s failure to act decisively allowed such behaviour to persist.

The university’s response shifted in March 2025 after President Donald Trump threatened to withhold nearly $400 million in funding. Columbia has since implemented reforms, hiring 36 special officers with arrest powers, revising anti-discrimination policies, and establishing an Office of Institutional Equity to address antisemitism and harassment. New protest rules also prohibit face masks to prevent anonymity. These changes mark a significant departure from Columbia’s earlier inaction, prompted by external pressure to address the rising tide of campus unrest and antisemitism.