A hedge fund billionaire and Columbia University graduate blasted students participating in anti-Israel demonstrations that have erupted on college campuses nationwide.
During a recent interview on Fox Business, Leon Cooperman voiced frustration with his alma mater following the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks that left more than 1,200 Israelis dead, Mediaite reported Wednesday, noting so-called “pro-Palestinian” activists have since held numerous demonstrations on college campuses.
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Joel B. Pollak / Breitbart NewsFox Business host Liz Claman asked Cooperman what he thought of the instances occurring on college campuses, including at Columbia.
She commented, “There was a student walkout at Columbia just a couple hours ago, driven by Columbia professor Joseph Massad, who called the Hamas attack ‘awesome.’ Where are we in the world when 1,300 Israeli civilians–”
Cooperman then interjected, “I think these kids at the colleges have shit for brains,” adding America has one true ally in the Middle East, and that is Israel.
Billionaire Leon Cooperman says Columbia students supporting Hamas have “shit for brains” pic.twitter.com/leqaecFvHe
— Brian Doherty (@BDOH) October 25, 2023
“We only have one democracy in the Middle East. That’s Israel, okay? And we have one economy tolerant of different people — gays, lesbians, etc. — and that’s Israel. So, I have no idea what these young kids are doing,” he stated.
Breitbart News reported on October 16 that a petition to oust Columbia professor Joseph Massad had neared 40,000 signatures in a few days:
The day after Islamist terrorists from the Gaza Strip committed the worst attack on Israeli soil in decades earlier this month, history and politics lecturer Joseph Massad published an article referring to the deadly event as an “awesome stunning victory.”
In the opinion piece, titled “Just another battle or the Palestinian war of liberation?” Massad called the October 7 attack that killed over 1,300 Israelis “astonishing” and “remarkable.”
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Israel Defense ForceIt is important to note that the New York Police Department said a woman beat an Israeli student with a stick outside Columbia University’s library following the terrorist attacks on Israel, Breitbart News reported October 12.
According to Mediaite, Cooperman said he plans to stop giving money to his alma mater unless changes are made, noting he told leadership to fire the professor.
Editor’s Note: This story was updated to reflect a revised number on the death toll from the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel. The Israeli government estimate of 1,400 was revised to around 1,200, according to Reuters.
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