Pro-Israel group demands Columbia President Shafik resign with mobile billboards over failure to stop antisemitism

A pro-Israel activist group hired a fleet of U-Haul trucks Thursday to demand the resignation of Columbia University President Minouche Shafik for failing to stop antisemitism on campus following her controversial testimony before Congress.

“Minouche Shafik, it’s time to resign and we’re here to help you move,” a mobile billboard on one of the trucks read as it drove past anti-Israel protesters who were demanding the destruction of Israel outside the Ivy League university.

At least two dozen marchers shouted slogans like “Settlers, settlers go back home, Palestine is ours alone” and “Resisting is justified when people are occupied” — referring to Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack on southern Israel, which killed about 1,200 people.

A second mobile billboard was also deployed outside Shafik’s official residence on Morningside Drive, a stone’s throw from the main campus, according to a press release from the group Accuracy in Media.

The bright red signs also included the web address “ColumbiaHatesJews.com,” which allowed supporter to send a message to the university demanding accountability of antisemitism among students and faculty.

On campus at Columbia, a couple dozen protesters remained camped out on Thursday to protest against Israel’s war — and also the university’s decision to suspend some students for using violent and antisemitic language.

The U-Haul drive-by was not Accuracy in Media’s first time sending mobile billboards to Columbia, which has been beset with protests and clashes since the start of the Israel-Hamas war last fall.

On Wednesday, Columbia President Minouche Shafik was questioned by Congress about her response to the reported uptick in antisemitic incidents on campus.

Shafik’s definition of antisemitism – including when she waffled on whether “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” counted as anti-Jewish hate – was “grossly inadequate,” said Tyler Korff, the co-founder of the Columbia Jewish Alumni Association.

“I do think that actions speak louder than words,” Korff told The Post.

“They are also chanting, in English and Arabic, that “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be Arab, which is another variation of that chant,” Korff said of the anti-Israel protesters.

“So it is blatantly anti semitic and later on genocide, and the fact that the university can acknowledge that is deeply problematic,” he reasoned.

Jewish students on campus have reported feeling unsafe at the school, and some have even been penalized for expressing pro-Israel views in class, Korff said.

Even so, Korff said he did not share the opinion that Shafik – who was appointed as Columbia’s 20th president in July 2023 – should resign immediately.

“I would rather work collaboratively with the university to improve the environment. You know, what’s happening on campus, what’s happening in the classroom, working with public safety and the administration rather than calling on her to resign,” he said.