Anti-Israel protest at Columbia University condemned by the White House. The university management will expel the students who occupied a building and incited the “Intifada”

The White House released a statement Tuesday condemning the occupation of Columbia University’s Hamilton Hall building by anti-Israel students, CNN and FoxNews report. Protesters, who support the actions of the terrorist organization Hamas against Israel, took control of the building on Tuesday morning.

Early Tuesday morning, hundreds of anti-Israel protesters from Columbia’s Manhattan campus occupied Hamilton Hall, an academic building used by the university’s administration. Protesters chanted “Long live the student intifada”.

“President Biden has opposed anti-Semitic smears and violent rhetoric throughout his life. He condemns the use of the term ‘intifada’, as well as the other tragic and dangerous hate speech displayed in recent days”, the White House.

“President Biden respects the right to free speech, but protests must be peaceful and legal. Taking over buildings by force is not peaceful – it is wrong. And hate speech and hate symbols have no place in America,” he added.

Historically, what is called the First Intifada was a series of deadly attacks and protests by Palestinians against Israelis in the 1980s. The Second Intifada occurred in the early 2000s, when at least 1,000 Israelis were killed of terrorist attacks by Palestinians who used suicide bombers on buses and shot civilians on the streets, in bars and restaurants in cities such as Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

Also Tuesday, Columbia University officials warned student protesters that those currently occupying Hamilton Hall “are at risk of expulsion.”

In a message emphasizing that the university’s top priority is safety, university officials said anti-Israel protests will not be allowed to disrupt university activity in violation of school policies.