The Anti-Defamation League Midwest, StandWithUs and the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law called for University President Michael Schill to resign in a Tuesday statement.
The reaction comes after Northwestern administrators reached a deal with the NU Divestment Coalition on Monday to deescalate a five-day encampment on Deering Meadow, which the statement called “reprehensible and dangerous.”
The statement condemned a lack of punishment for protesters and said Schill “awarded protest groups with scholarships, professorships and a renovated community home.” The terms of the agreement outline a process for disclosure of investments, permits gathering and protest on Deering Meadow through June 1 and will provide immediate temporary space for MENA/Muslim students.”
“As the three leading organizations in the United States holding colleges and universities accountable for creating hostile environments for Jewish students, we are shocked and dismayed by the agreement Northwestern University President Michael Schill reached on behalf of Northwestern University with encampment protesters,” the statement reads.
The statement alleged that Jewish NU students have been “harassed and intimidated by blatant antisemitism on campus” since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel which killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli officials. Over 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s continued land and air military offensive in Gaza, according to Palestinian officials.
Schill recently condemned incidents of antisemitism at the encampment in a Tuesday evening video message to the NU community, citing a poster that depicted himself with devil horns and a depiction of a Star of David with a red slash through it.
The statement said the encampment violated the University’s Code of Conduct and alleged that by opening negotiations with protesters Schill “normalized (protesters’) hatred against Jewish students” and “catastrophically failed to teach responsibility, respect for community values and the fundamental principle that no one is above the law.”
The statement said Schill’s actions in response to the encampment demonstrate that he is “unfit to lead Northwestern.”
“We call on President Schill to resign immediately and trust that, if he fails to resign, the Board of Trustees will step in as the leaders the University needs and remove him,” the statement reads.
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Related Stories:
— Plaintiffs sue Northwestern for response to pro-Palestinian encampment
— BREAKING: Administrators, student demonstrators reach agreement to end encampment on Deering Meadow
