Columbia silent over fate of masked anti-Israel student rioters who trashed campus library

Columbia University students and Jewish advocates called on the Ivy League school Thursday to crack down on the more than 80 anti-Israel rioters who took part in a violent takeover of a campus library.The elite Upper West Side school has so far kept quiet about what, if any, punishment students and staff who stormed Butler Library on Wednesday will face, including whether they would be suspended or even expelled.“What happens the day after? We need to see serious consequences,” Joseph Postasnik, executive vice president of the New York Board of Rabbis told The Post, calling for “some Old Testament” justice.“This happened during preparation for final exams — they don’t qualify as serious students,” he said of the rioters.“There should be harsh consequences — people were assaulted.

Columbia needs to come down hard or this activity will happen again and again.”Postasnik’s sentiment was echoed by the Columbia Jewish Alumni Association, which said it was “dismayed at the violence, destruction of property and antisemitic acts by protesters” at the library, while still thanking the school for calling in the cops.“We look forward to Columbia holding these students accountable for their actions so that the 99% of Jewish and non-Jewish students can do what they pay for — focus on learning.”Dozens of masked thugs stormed the campus library in the afternoon as students studied there.The protesters committed acts of vandalism and injured two campus security guards in the melee, prompting the school to call in the NYPD hours later, administrators said.In all, 81 rioters were arrested — 62 women and 19 men — all of whom have since been released with tickets or summonses for trespassing or criminal mischief, law-enforcement sources said.

Their identities were not released.Acting Columbia University president Claire Shipman put out a video statement Thursday morning condemning the “substantial chaos” caused by the mob, and hinting that �...