Robert Kraft slams ‘cowardice’ of Columbia University protestors chanting ‘go back to Poland’ with their faces covered

Billionaire Robert Kraft denounced Columbia University protesters who chanted “go back to Poland” while hiding behind masks.

The 82-year-old Columbia alum condemned the series of campus demonstrations, accompanied by physical violence, as “cowardice,” in an op-ed published in the New York Post.

‘I firmly believe in freedom of expression. But ‘free speech’ is not a call to physical violence with your face hidden behind masks and coverings – that is cowardice,” he wrote.

The owner of the New England Patriots called on campus leaders to “show courage and stop radical professors from poisoning young minds.”

Kraft’s op-ed comes just two days after he withdrew his financial support from the Ivy League school, saying he had lost confidence in the school’s ability to protect its students amid anti-Israel protests.

The Columbia alum, 82, condemned the series of campus demonstrations involving physical violence as “cowardice”

The founder and CEO of the Kraft Group attended Columbia on a full academic scholarship, graduating in 1962.

When he enrolled at the Ivy League school, he was able to “learn from professors who encouraged students’ independent thinking and the ability to critically engage with diverse points of view.”

But today, “students are taught and stimulated by teachers who focus more on politics than on education,” he wrote.

“Signs at Columbia University read ‘Go Back to Poland,’ calling for the Jewish community to return to the horrific death camps of the Holocaust. They sing ‘Kill all the Jews’ and ‘October 7, 10,000 more times.’

Kraft was referring to the recent scandalous incident caught on camera in which an anti-Israel protester shouted “go back to Poland” and “go back to Belarus” at Jewish students outside campus.

“This hateful rhetoric that calls for the death and destruction of an entire population has no place in Columbia or anywhere else,” Kraft wrote.

Columbia is one of dozens of colleges that have been embroiled in protests between Israel and Hamas, while other prestigious universities, including Harvard and MIT, have been thrown into chaos.

So-called “Gaza encampments” have become a common sight on campuses in recent weeks, with students setting up tents and refusing to move despite law enforcement.

Columbia is one of dozens of colleges that have been embroiled in protests between Israel and Hamas, while other prestigious universities, including Harvard and MIT, have been thrown into chaos.

So-called ‘Gaza encampments’ have become a common sight on campuses in recent weeks, with students setting up tents and refusing to move despite law enforcement

Earlier this week, Kraft announced that he has withdrawn his financial support from Columbia University due to rampant anti-Semitism on campus

The NYPD cleared an encampment at the college last 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.

Earlier this week, Kraft announced that he has withdrawn his financial support from Columbia University due to rampant anti-Semitism on campus.

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

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.”