Leon Cooperman Columbia Student Protests Spark Controversy

Leon Cooperman, a Columbia University alumnus and hedge fund manager, found himself at the center of controversy due to student protests.

Columbia University students took to the streets to protest against Cooperman's involvement in the university's board of trustees.

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Leon Cooperman, a hedge fund billionaire, has spoken out against students protesting the war in Israel at Columbia University, his alma mater. He called the students "kids with s–t for brains" in an interview with Fox Business.

Cooperman has given around $50 million to Columbia University over the years, but now plans to stop donating unless he sees a change from the administration. He wants the university to condemn a tenured professor who called Hamas' terror attacks against Israel "awesome".

The professor, whose name is not mentioned, has a petition against him with over 60,000 signatures. The petition accuses the university of "condoning and supporting terrorism" and demands the professor's removal.

A letter of solidarity with the professor was issued by thousands of members of the school's alumni, staff, and student body. They condemned the petition against him and called on the university president to "unequivocally guarantee his physical safety and his academic freedom".

Columbia University has declined to comment on the matter, but some professors have weighed in. One professor, Shai Davidai, said he would never allow his daughter to attend the university and would never do any speaking engagements with them.

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Leon Cooperman has vowed to stop donating to Columbia University due to its response to the war in Israel.

Cooperman, a hedge fund billionaire, has donated around $50 million to the school over the years.

He's not the only one taking a stand, as Israeli-American assistant professor Shai Davidai has also spoken out against the university.

Davidai has said he would never allow his daughter to attend Columbia and has even gone as far as saying "Columbia can go to hell as far as I'm concerned."

The protests at Columbia have been ongoing, with almost 60,000 people signing a petition calling for the removal of a professor who praised Hamas' terror attacks against Israel.

The university has declined to comment on the matter, but some professors have weighed in, including Davidai.

Columbia University administrators have also taken action, canceling a student group's on-campus movie night after organizers said "Zionists" were not welcome.