New York Mayor Eric Adams wants Columbia University and other private colleges to foot the bill for the massive operations the NYPD must carry out to dismantle the Gaza camps.

Mayor Adams said the costly police operations could have been avoided if the universities had implemented a “zero tolerance” policy for such behavior.

He then praised Fordham University for taking quick action to remove an anti-Israel Gaza encampment that sprang up on campus before it could escalate.

When asked if Columbia should open its checkbook to pay for the operation, Mayor Adams told Fox 5, “We believe they should also contribute to the costs.”

“One way to prevent costs from escalating is to have zero tolerance. As soon as the tents go up, it goes down. Don’t let this grow any further,” Adams said. “That’s what we saw at Columbia University and that’s what we saw at CUNY.”

The world watched as NYPD officers dressed in tactical riot gear surrounded the Columbia University building to restore law and order to the campus that had been overtaken by anti-Israel rioters who had been protesting in the Gaza camp, from many of whom were not students. or affiliated with an Ivy League university.

During the operation, police officers were seen entering Hamilton Hall via a truck-mounted ladder. The hall had been seized by unruly demonstrators the night before.

In addition, the NYPD was forced to respond to violent anti-Israel protests at the City College of New York (CCNY) in Harlem, where they were subjected to violence as the crowd of agitators attacked police officers.

The protests resulted in more than 280 arrests between the Columbia and CCNY campuses.

In addition, members of the New York City Council wrote a scathing letter to Columbia University officials demanding that they pay for the operating procedures instead of Big Apple taxpayers, saying “Columbia created this mess” and the university can “definitely afford it”.

“Columbia created this mess and Columbia – not New Yorkers – should pay to clean it up,” the New York Post said.

“New York City has very real problems that must be prioritized,” the letter continued. “Babysitting spoiled students, activist professors and professional protesters on an Ivy League campus is not one of them.”

And he adds, “You can certainly afford it,” noting that the Ivy League University has $13.6 billion in endowments and tuition costs more than $68,000 a year.