State Senator Calls For Hochul To Send National Guard To Columbia

MERRICK, NY — Amid pro-Palestinian protests in colleges across the country, one state senator visited a Passover Seder on Monday.

State Senator Steve Rhoades (R-Bellmore) was invited to the holiday gathering by Rabbi Shimon Kramer of the Merrick Chabad.

"With all the unrest and antisemitism that's happening, unfortunately on college campuses, it was important for the Jewish community to know that their elected officials are standing with them," Rhoades told Patch. "It was important to send a message that they're not alone."

Pro-Palestinians formed dozens of encampments at Columbia University.

"We're seeing people actually go out and protest in support of a federally recognized terrorist organization, advocating for the death and destruction of Jews and the state of Israel," Rhoades said. "In what way is that acceptable?"

A letter sent to Governor Hochul from a contingent of Republican state senators is calling for "immediate action" at Columbia.

The lawmakers want the university president to step down and Hochul's deployment of the National Guard to quell the situation.

"Because Columbia is a private college, it's private property, so it's the jurisdiction of university police to handle anything that happens on campus unless they're invited in from the outside," he said.

Thus far, colleges on Long Island have not seen similar protests, but "I certainly wouldn't put it out of the realm of possibility," Rhoades said.