New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft condemns Columbia's ineptitude as he pulls funding
'I am no longer confident that Columbia can protect its students and staff and I am not comfortable supporting the university until corrective action is taken.'
After days of a pro-Hamas occupation camp dominating Columbia University’s campus, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft announced Monday that he would be pulling his financial support from the university in light of the “virulent hate” against Jews evident on campus and nationwide.
Kraft, who is also the owner of The Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, said in a statement posted to the organization’s X account that he is “deeply saddened,” saying that his alma mater is “no longer an institution I recognize.”
A statement from @FCASorg Founder Robert Kraft. pic.twitter.com/6fmTGFx06e
— Stand Up to Jewish Hate #🟦 (@StandUp2JewHate) April 22, 2024
”It was through the full academic scholarship Columbia gave me that /was able to attend college and get my start in life and for that I have been tremendously grateful,” Kraft stated. “However, the school I love so much - the one that welcomed me and provided me with so much opportunity - is no longer an institution I recognize. I am deeply saddened at the virulent hate that continues to grow on campus and throughout our country.”
”I am no longer confident that Columbia can protect its students and staff and I am not comfortable supporting the university until corrective action is taken,” he continued. “It is my hope that Columbia and its leadership will stand up to this hate by ending these protests immediately and will work to earn back the respect and trust of the many of us who have lost faith in the institution.”
[RELATED: Columbia administration has ‘lost complete control over its campus,’ Pro-Israel org warns]
Kraft concluded by stating that the Kraft Center for Jewish Student Life will “serve as a source of security and safety for all Jewish students and faculty on campus who want to gather peacefullyto practice their religion, to be together, and to be welcomed.”