Defund Columbia: Robert Kraft pulls his money as other donors blast ‘f*****g crazy’ anti-Israel mob but staff join students’ campus protest in spiraling crisis

Billionaire Robert Kraft has withdrawn his financial support from Columbia University, saying he has lost confidence in the Ivy League school’s ability to protect its students amid anti-Israel protests.

“The school I love so much — the one that welcomed me and provided me with so many opportunities — is no longer an institution I recognize,” the New England Patriots owner and Columbia graduate said Monday.

“I am deeply saddened by the virulent hatred that continues to grow on campus and across our country.”

Kraft added, “I hope that Columbia and its leadership will resist this hatred by immediately ending these protests and work to regain the respect and trust of many of us who have lost faith in the institution.”

The billionaire also said he hopes Columbia’s Kraft Center for Jewish Student Life will be “a source of security and safety for all Jewish students and faculty on campus.”

Meanwhile, dozens of Columbia University staff members held a walkout Monday as they protested the NYPD’s call in to control anti-Israel protests last week.

Employees held signs that read, “Hands Off Our Students” and “End Student Suspension.”

Bassam Khawaja, an Ivy League human rights professor, shared footage of what he said was a strike by staff opposing “the university’s decision to deploy the NYPD for solidarity protests with Palestine.”

It is unclear how many staff members are participating in the protest, which is not exactly a strike because in-person classes were canceled Monday due to tension on campus.

It comes as billionaire hedge fund boss Leon Cooperman didn’t hold back as he addressed the escalating anti-Israel demonstrations at the Ivy League school, where pro-Palestinian demonstrators were seen again on Monday after being dispersed by the NYPD last week.

“These kids are fucking crazy. They don’t understand what they are doing or what they are talking about,” said Cooperman, the son of Jewish-Polish immigrants. CNN on Monday, adding that the protesters “must be kept under control.”

However, the Columbia alum voiced his support for embattled university President Minouche Shafik, who canceled in-person learning on Monday amid the ongoing chaos.

“My opinion is that they are finally doing the right thing at school,” he said. “The government is now responding correctly… The president is now saying the right things.”

Referring to anti-Semitic people, Cooperman added: ‘F*** them all.’

In October, Cooperman threatened to withdraw his financial support from Columbia due to anti-Semitism on campus. However, after discussing the matter with Shakif, he now says he has decided to continue the donations, but only to his alma mater, Columbia Business School.

Cooperman donated $25 million in 2021 to support the construction of Columbia’s Manhatanville campus.

Democratic Mayor Eric Adams previously said the city had been asked in writing by university officials to remove the encampment, and asked university officials to allow officers to control the protests.

“Students have the right to freedom of expression, but not the right to violate university policy and disrupt education on campus,” Adams said Sunday evening.

“I am shocked and disgusted by the anti-Semitism being spewed on and around the campus of Columbia University.

“Hate has no place in our city, and I have directed the NYPD to investigate every violation of the law they receive a report of and arrest anyone who breaks the law,” Adams said Sunday night.

“I want to be very clear, however: Columbia University is a private institution on private property, which means the NYPD cannot be on campus unless specifically requested by senior university officials.

Meanwhile, New York’s Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul issued a statement recorded on Columbia’s campus.

“This morning I went to Columbia University and convened City Hall, the NYPD, and the President of Columbia to discuss the need to combat anti-Semitism and protect public safety,” Hochul wrote on X.

“The recent harassment and rhetoric are disgusting and abhorrent. Every student deserves to be safe.”

Hochul added, “I was once a student protester, but I have never seen a level of protest that is so personal and so visceral. And I appeal to everyone: people must find their humanity. Have the conversations, talk to each other, understand different points of view, because that’s what students should be doing.”

On Monday, Jewish professor Shai Davidai claimed he was denied entry to Columbia’s campus after organizing a pro-Israel demonstration to oppose the student-run camp in Gaza.

A source told DailyMail.com that Davidai’s employee card was deactivated after he refused to hold his counter-protest in the designated area and instead organized it next to the pro-Gaza demonstration.

The NYPD cleared an encampment at the college on Thursday and arrested more than 100 protesters, including Rep. Ilhan Omar’s daughter.

Columbia University canceled all in-person classes amid escalating anti-Israel protests that have stoked fear among Jewish students — and a warning from a rabbi.

President Shafik said Monday that she was “saddened” by the situation and that the school “needed a reset.”

“I understand that many are experiencing deep moral distress and want Columbia to help alleviate this by taking action,” she said.

“We should be having serious conversations about how Columbia can contribute.”

The Egyptian-born academic added that the tensions have been “exploited and amplified by individuals unaffiliated with Columbia,” warning that they are pursuing their own agenda.

The students have been protesting on campus since early Wednesday, opposing Israeli military action in Gaza and demanding the divestiture of schools from companies they claim “profit from Israeli apartheid.”