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“I am deeply saddened by the virulent hatred that continues to grow on campuses and across our country.”
Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots and founder of the Foundation to Combat Anti-Semitism, announced he would withdraw support from Columbia University. Mel Musto
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft announced Monday that he is ending his support of his alma mater, Columbia University.
Kraft’s decision comes just five days after students on the New York campus established a pro-Palestinian encampment, calling for divestment of university funds from companies with ties to Israel.
“I am deeply saddened by the virulent hatred that continues to grow on campus and across our country,” Kraft said in a statement on social media. “I am no longer confident that Columbia can protect its students and staff and I am not comfortable supporting the university until corrective action is taken.”
The Patriots CEO and founder of the Foundation to Combat Anti-Semitism has been an active alumnus since graduating in 1963. Seven years after donating $3 million to begin construction of the Kraft Center for Life Jewish student in 2000, Columbia University named Robert K. Kraft Field in her honor “for her extremely generous contributions.”
In an interview Monday evening with FOX News’ Sean Hannity, Kraft made it clear that he would continue to support the Kraft Center for Jewish Student Life, which has served “as a refuge for faculty and students who feel unsafe.”
“I never thought I would see what’s happening in America, what’s happening right now. It really hurts me to see this,” Kraft told Hannity. “We can’t let this bullying filter through all of these colleges and the hatred continue to grow and multiply as it is.”
Kraft did not answer Hannity’s question about what “corrective action” looks like; however in a separate appearance on CNN Monday eveninghe further insisted on the idea of “responsibility”.
“I believe in free speech, say what you want, but pay the consequences,” Kraft told CNN’s Jake Tapper.
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