Washington Post Accused of Anti-Semitism Over Coverage of Columbia Protests

The Washington Post has come under fire for its coverage of anti-Israel protests at Columbia University, with New York City's deputy mayor accusing the paper of pushing an "antisemitic trope." The Post reported that high-powered executives who support Israel urged Mayor Eric Adams to shut down the protests, but the mayor's office denied any improper influence.

The controversy stems from a Post article published Thursday titled "Business titans privately urged NYC mayor to use police on Columbia protesters, chats show." The article, which focused on wealthy Americans who support Israel arranging a Zoom call with Adams to discuss pressuring Columbia into letting police "handle protesters," sparked a heated response from the mayor's office.

New York City Deputy Mayor for Communications Fabien Levy provided a statement saying Columbia leadership asked for police to intervene and "any suggestion that other considerations were involved in the decision-making process is completely false."

Levy went on to accuse the Post of pushing an "antisemitic trope" by insinuating that Jewish donors secretly plotted to influence government operations.

"The insinuation that Jewish donors secretly plotted to influence government operations is an all too familiar antisemitic trope that the Washington Post should be ashamed to ask about, let alone normalize in print," Levy said.

The Post included Levy's statement in its report, but a paper insider told Fox News Digital that the paper regularly covers wealthy and powerful people who try to use their influence, regardless of their race or religion.

The Post did not mention the religion of the WhatsApp chat participants, which included ex-Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, Dell founder and CEO Michael Dell, and hedge fund manager Bill Ackman.

A Washington Post spokesperson declined comment on Levy's statement.

Levy continued his criticism on social media, writing that the story is "even more offensive than even initially described to us."

"@washingtonpost & others can make editorial decisions to disagree with the decisions by universities to ask the NYPD to clear unlawful encampments on campuses, but saying Jews ‘wielded their money & power in an effort to shape American views’ is offensive on so many levels," Levy tweeted.

Last month, a mob of anti-Israel agitators barricaded the doors and windows of the Hamilton Hall building on Columbia's campus, smashed glass, confronted maintenance workers, and waved a Palestinian flag from the roof. President Nemat Shafik eventually called in the New York Police Department to clear the building, an action that sparked protests and outrage from some students and faculty.

A Columbia University faculty group has since passed a "no confidence" resolution against Shafik, criticizing her handling of the protests.

The Post's coverage of the Columbia protests and the subsequent controversy have raised questions about the role of money and influence in political decision-making and the dangers of using anti-Semitic tropes in journalism.