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By Joseph Zuloaga and Rebecca Massel

New York City Mayor Eric Adams, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, New York City Council member Shaun Abreu, CC ’14, Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.), Rep. Jerry Nadler, CC ’69, (D-N.Y.), Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo released individual statements on Sunday and Monday condemning recent reports of antisemitic incidents amid a rise in protest activity.

Since University President Minouche Shafik’s Wednesday congressional testimony and authorization of a Thursday police sweep of the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” that led to the arrests of 108 protesters, students have reported several antisemitic incidents within and outside the Columbia gates.

Abreu posted on X on Sunday at 8:34 p.m. that his “heart breaks at the idea that Jewish students would leave Columbia’s campus to protect their safety.”

“The university must ensure that students are safe and that they know they are welcome and wanted on campus,” he wrote. “The overt antisemitism that has been documented on campus cannot be construed as part of any productive conversation or protected protest.”

Abreu wrote that people can both acknowledge antisemitism and “still believe in the importance of protecting speech on campus.”

“We rightfully expect our colleges to advance learning and offer unparalleled opportunities for speech,” he continued. “This is no easy task, and we should all grant those who lead, live, and work on our campuses the empathy and grace that we would all wish for ourselves.”

Abreu finished his statement by calling on people to “remember that Columbia sits in a real neighborhood.”

“There are people who live there even when school is out and who have the hard talks with their kids when they hear casually shouted slurs,” he stated. “I ask everyone to respect this neighborhood and their neighbors.”