US Speaker calls on Columbia president to resign
By Bernd Debusmann Jr in New York and Mike Wendling
The leader of the US House of Representatives has called on the head of Columbia University to resign.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said that university president Nemat Shafik has failed to guarantee the safety of Jewish students on campus.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators have also called for Ms Shafik’s resignation over police action against the protests.
Recent protests against the war in Gaza, which began at Columbia, have spread to campuses across the US.
Students at the Ivy League university in Manhattan set up a protest encampment a week ago.
On 18 April, the university asked the New York Police Department to clear the camp, and officers arrested about 100 people.
Protesters have since returned to the area with more tents and placards. In response, Columbia officials switched from in-person classes to online and hybrid learning for the rest of the school’s semester over safety concerns.
On Wednesday, Mr Johnson held a news conference at Columbia along with other Republican lawmakers after meeting with Ms Shafik.
