America is tearing itself apart over the war in Gaza, and the campus of Columbia University in New York has become the epicenter of the battle. Political leaders from Washington are inviting themselves to the campus in the midst of the 2024 election campaign. The conflict could prove devastating for Joe Biden, alienating both a section of the youth and a segment of the Jewish vote.

So, on Wednesday, April 24, the Republican speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, went in front of the prestigious university's Low library, right next to the tents set up by pro-Palestinian students denouncing America's support for Israel and the brutality of the war in Gaza. "Go back to class and stop the nonsense," he demanded, condemning anti-Israeli or antisemitic remarks. "These are words we expect from ayatollahs in Iran, not American lawmakers, and not American students."

After meeting with Jewish students who said they had been harassed or threatened, the speaker of the House called for the resignation of the university's president, Nemat Shafik, an economist of Egyptian origin, who took office in the summer of 2023. "We just can't allow this kind of hatred and antisemitism to flourish on our campuses. And it must be stopped in its tracks. Those who are perpetrating this violence should be arrested." He also said that, after his visit, he would call President Joe Biden. "There is an appropriate time for the National Guard," warned Johnson, who is regaining his political virtue by crossing swords with the political left on campuses. The politican is being sharply criticized by the hardliners in his camp for having pushed through the financial aid package to Israel and Ukraine and finds himself under threat of impeachment.

During his speech, some students chanted "Free Palestine." Another shouted, "Genocide." "What are you going to do? Arrest us? Stop us!" added a third. The invocation of the National Guard earned him booing. The university had to deny that it was considering this recourse, as did the governor of New York state, Democrat Kathy Hochul.

In this crisis, Shafik is caught in a bind. She is relentlessly attacked by Republicans but shattered trust with students and much of the faculty by calling in the New York Police Department to dislodge tents set up by the pro-Palestinian collective on Thursday. It was a first since 1996 and reminiscent of police interventions in 1968, in the midst of protests against the war in Vietnam. Classes have been suspended and are now held remotely, due to security risks.

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