Biden is 'appalled' by antisemitic protests. So why aren't prosecutors pursuing charges?

Apparently, Alvin Bragg is worn out.

Bragg is the Manhattan district attorney who has devoted much of his tenure to prosecuting Donald Trump and making a name for himself with the politically motivated case involving falsified business records that ended last month in felony convictions.

If the defendant isn’t a former Republican president named Trump, then Bragg loses interest in pursuing “justice.”

At least, that’s sure how it looks.

When it comes to most of the 46 cases against pro-Palestinian looters who sieged Hamilton Hall at Columbia University on April 30, Bragg recently decided to drop charges.

Purportedly, prosecutors don’t think they have enough evidence to win at trial, because the perpetrators wore masks and covered security cameras.

In their 17-hour occupation of the hall, the students and other malcontents wreaked havoc, smashing desks, chairs and windows – not to mention the disruption and mayhem they caused on campus.

These vandals should not go scot-free.

DEI unravels: DEI is unraveling at our universities. Good riddance to a failed and divisive bureaucracy.

Bragg is setting a terrible precedent

If students can engage in such damaging conduct and face zero legal repercussions, it will embolden others to do the same thing.

It’s not cute or faddish to don a keffiyeh on your head and forcefully take over a public building. Yet, such bad behavior has occurred on college campuses around the country.

Other disruptive pro-Palestinian protests that include vandalism and violence have erupted in places from Washington, D.C., to Los Angeles.

Hate-fueled protests: Pro-Palestinian protesters spew antisemitic hate. Why aren't more Americans angry?

The violence is bad enough, but the hateful and antisemitic messages attached to it make it even worse.

For instance, last weekend in L.A., pro-Palestinian activists targeted a synagogue in a Jewish neighborhood, blocking the entrance. They chanted “free, free Palestine – from the river to the sea,” and “long live intifada,” which are extremely hateful messages for Jews.

To his credit, President Joe Biden interrupted his presidential debate prep and issued a strong condemnation of the antisemitism on display in one of the most progressive states in the nation.

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“I’m appalled by the scenes outside of Adas Torah synagogue in Los Angeles. Intimidating Jewish congregants is dangerous, unconscionable, antisemitic, and un-American,” the president posted on X.

“Americans have a right to peaceful protest. But blocking access to a house of worship – and engaging in violence – is never acceptable.”

Americans aren't impressed with college protests

Back on the quad, where many of these anti-Israel and antisemitic protests began after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack against Israel, students who’ve broken the rules haven’t won themselves many fans.

A new Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE)/NORC poll found the majority of Americans strongly disagree with the forms that pro-Palestinian protests took on campus – especially demonstrations that are not protected by our First Amendment.

Among the findings:

• Nearly three-fourths of Americans (72%) say campus protesters who participated in encampments should be punished.

• A majority of Americans said that defacing school property (80%) or occupying buildings (52%) is "never" an acceptable form of protest on a college campus; 43% said the same of encampments.

• Almost two-thirds of Americans (63%) said the recent campus protests had no impact on their level of sympathy for Palestinians in Gaza.

There are so many other, more productive (and legal) avenues students and concerned citizens could take if they wanted to express their support for Palestinians in Gaza.

Letting perpetrators of violence off the hook, as Bragg did, sends the message that those who threaten and intimidate others won’t be held accountable.

As President Biden said, such conduct has no business in America.

Ingrid Jacques is a columnist at USA TODAY. Contact her at [email protected] or on X, formerly Twitter: @Ingrid_Jacques.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Antisemitism on the rise? Prosecutors must send protesters a message