Billionaire Robert Kraft slammed Columbia University protestors who chanted 'go back to Poland' while hiding behind masks.
The Columbia alum, 82, condemned the series of demonstrations on campus accompanied by physical violence as 'cowardice,' in an op-ed published in the New York Post.
'I am a firm believer in freedom of speech. But "free speech" is not calling for physical violence with your face hidden behind masks and coverings — that's 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 that he had lost confidence in the school's ability to protect its students amid anti-Israel protests.
Billionaire Robert Kraft slammed Columbia University protestors who chanted 'go back to Poland ' while hiding behind masks
The Columbia alum, 82, condemned the series of demonstrations on campus accompanied by physical violence as 'cowardice'
The founder and CEO of the Kraft Group attended Columbia on a full academic scholarship and graduated in 1962.
When he enrolled in the Ivy League school, he was able to 'learn from professors that encouraged students to cultivate independent thought and the ability to engage critically with diverse viewpoints.'
But today, 'students have been taught and empowered by faculty more focused on politics than they are 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 chant 'Kill all the Jews' and 'October 7th 10,000 more times.'
Kraft referred to the recent outrageous incident captured on camera, where an anti-Israel protestor shouted, 'go back to Poland' and 'go back to Belarus' at Jewish students outside the campus.
'This hateful rhetoric calling for the death and destruction of an entire population has no place at Columbia and no place anywhere,' Kraft wrote.
Columbia is among dozens of colleges that have become swept up in Israel-Hamas protests, with other prestigious universities including Harvard and MIT thrown into chaos.
So-called 'Gaza encampments' have become common sights on campuses in recent weeks, with students setting up tents and refusing to move in the face of law enforcement.
Columbia is among dozens of colleges that have become swept up in Israel-Hamas protests, with other prestigious universities including Harvard and MIT thrown into chaos
So-called 'Gaza encampments' have become common sights on campuses in recent weeks, with students setting up tents and refusing to move in the face of law enforcement
Earlier this week, Kraft announced he has pulled his financial support from Columbia University due to the rampant anti-Semitism on campus
The NYPD removed an encampment at the college on Thursday last week and arrested more than 100 demonstrators, including the daughter of Rep. Ilhan Omar.
Columbia University canceled all in-person classes amid escalating anti-Israel protests that have sparked fear in Jewish students - and a warning from a rabbi.
Earlier this week, Kraft announced he has pulled his financial support from Columbia University due to the rampant anti-Semitism on campus.
'I am deeply saddened at the virulent hate that continues to grow on campus and throughout our country,' he said.
Kraft added: 'It is my hope that Columbia and its leadership will stand up to this hate by ending these protests immediately and will work to earn back the respect and trust of the many of us who have lost faith in the institution.
The billionaire also said he hopes Columbia's Kraft Center for Jewish Student Life serves 'as a source of security and safety for all Jewish students and faculty on campus.'
