{"id":33781,"date":"2024-05-18T12:31:39","date_gmt":"2024-05-18T19:31:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=33781"},"modified":"2024-05-18T12:31:41","modified_gmt":"2024-05-18T19:31:41","slug":"business-titans-privately-urged-new-york-citys-mayor-to-use-police-on-columbia-protesters-chats-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2024\/05\/18\/business-titans-privately-urged-new-york-citys-mayor-to-use-police-on-columbia-protesters-chats-show\/","title":{"rendered":"Business Titans Privately Urged New York City\u2019s Mayor to Use Police on Columbia Protesters, Chats Show"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Hannah Natanson and Emmanuel Felton\/The Washington Post<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"BusinessPro-Palestinian protesters chant slogans while facing off against the New York Police Department at Columbia University in late April. (photo: Ed Ou\/The Washington Post)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

17 may 24<\/strong> (RSN.org)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

A WhatsApp chat started by some wealthy Americans after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack reveals their focus on Mayor Eric Adams and their work to shape U.S. opinion of the Gaza war.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Agroup of billionaires and business titans working to shape U.S. public opinion of the war in Gaza privately pressed New York City\u2019s mayor last month to send police to disperse pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University, according to communications obtained by The Washington Post and people familiar with the group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Business executives including Kind snack company founder Daniel Lubetzky, hedge fund manager Daniel Loeb, billionaire Len Blavatnik and real estate investor Joseph Sitt held a Zoom video call on April 26 with Mayor Eric Adams (D), about a week after the mayor first<\/a> sent New York police to Columbia\u2019s campus, a log of chat messages shows. During the call, some attendees discussed making political donations to Adams, as well as how the chat group\u2019s members could pressure Columbia\u2019s president and trustees to permit the mayor to send police to the campus to handle protesters, according to chat messages summarizing the conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One member of the WhatsApp chat group told The Post he donated $2,100, the maximum legal limit, to Adams that month. Some members also offered to pay for private investigators to assist New York police in handling the protests, the chat log shows \u2014 an offer a member of the group reported in the chat that Adams accepted. The New York Police Department is not using and has not used private investigators to help manage protests, a spokeswoman for City Hall said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The messages describing the call with Adams were among thousands logged in a WhatsApp chat among some of the nation\u2019s most prominent business leaders and financiers, including former CEO of Starbucks Howard Schultz, Dell founder and CEO Michael Dell, hedge fund manager Bill Ackman and Joshua Kushner, founder of Thrive Capital and brother to Jared Kushner, former president Donald Trump\u2019s son-in-law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People with direct access to the chat log\u2019s contents supplied them to The Post. They shared the information on the condition of anonymity because the chat\u2019s contents were meant to stay private. Members of the group verified the chat\u2019s existence and their comments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The chat was initiated by a staffer for billionaire and real estate magnate Barry Sternlicht \u2014 who never joined directly, instead communicating through the staffer, according to chat messages and a person close to Sternlicht. In an Oct. 12 message, one of the first sent in the group, the staffer posting on behalf of Sternlicht told the others the goal of the group was to \u201cchange the narrative\u201d in favor of Israel, partly by conveying \u201cthe atrocities committed by Hamas \u2026 to all Americans.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israel estimates<\/a> 1,200 people were killed in Hamas\u2019s Oct. 7 attack. In the months since the war began, the death toll in Gaza has risen above<\/a> 35,000, according to the Gaza Health Ministry<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The chat group formed shortly after the Oct. 7 attack, and its activism has stretched beyond New York, touching the highest levels of the Israeli government, the U.S. business world and elite universities. Titled \u201cIsrael Current Events,\u201d the chat eventually expanded to about 100 members, the chat log shows. More than a dozen members of the group appear on Forbes\u2019s annual list of billionaires; others work in real estate, finance and communications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overall, the messages offer a window into how some prominent individuals have wielded their money and power in an effort to shape American views of the Gaza war<\/a>, as well as the actions of academic, business and political leaders \u2014 including New York\u2019s mayor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe\u2019s open to any ideas we have,\u201d chat member Sitt, founder of retail chain Ashley Stewart and the global real estate company Thor Equities, wrote April 27, the day after the group\u2019s Zoom call with Adams. \u201cAs you saw he\u2019s ok if we hire private investigators to then have his police force intel team work with them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sitt declined to comment through a spokeswoman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A half-dozen prominent members of the group confirmed on the record their participation in the chat. Multiple people familiar with the group confirmed the names of other members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cypriot Israeli real estate billionaire Yakir Gabay, a chat member, wrote in a statement shared by a spokesperson that he joined the group because he wanted to \u201cshare support at a difficult and painful time,\u201d to aid the victims of Hamas attacks and to \u201ctry and correct the false and misleading information intentionally spread worldwide to deny or cover up the suffering caused by Hamas.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asked about the Zoom meeting with chat group members, the mayor\u2019s office did not address it directly, instead sharing a statement from deputy mayor Fabien Levy noting that New York police entered Columbia\u2019s campus twice in response to \u201cspecific written requests\u201d from university leadership. \u201cAny suggestion that other considerations were involved in the decision-making process is completely false,\u201d Levy said. He added, \u201cThe insinuation that Jewish donors secretly plotted to influence government operations is an all too familiar antisemitic trope that the Washington Post should be ashamed to ask about, let alone normalize in print.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adams demonstrated a willingness to send law enforcement to deal with campus protesters from the beginning<\/a>. He sent police to Columbia\u2019s campus to disperse pro-Palestinian demonstrators on April 18, at the university\u2019s request \u2014 about a day after protesters erected their Gaza solidarity encampment. Officers arrested more than 100 protesters<\/a>. The mayor has subsequently alleged<\/a> student activists were affected by \u201coutside influences\u201d \u2014 and that police intervention was needed to prevent \u201cchildren\u201d from being \u201cradicalized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both he and Columbia\u2019s president have since drawn criticism \u2014 but also support \u2014 for involving police, adding to a fraught stretch for Adams, who is up for reelection in 2025<\/a> and faces an FBI corruption investigation<\/a> into whether his 2021 campaign received illegal donations from Turkey. Adams has defended that campaign, saying<\/a> he held it to \u201cthe highest ethical standards.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Four days after chat members held the video call with Adams, student protesters occupied a campus building and Columbia\u2019s president invited police back to campus to clear the building<\/a>. Officers removed and arrested dozens of protesters, pushing, striking and dragging students in the process, The Post reported<\/a>. One officer accidentally fired<\/a> his gun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Months before the protests at Columbia this spring, some chat members attended private briefings with former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett; Benny Gantz, a member of the Israeli war cabinet; and Israel\u2019s ambassador to the United States, Michael Herzog, according to chat records.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Members of the group also worked with the Israeli government to screen a roughly 40-minute film showing footage compiled by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) \u2014 titled \u201cBearing Witness to the October 7 Massacre\u201d \u2014 to audiences in New York City. The film portrays killings committed by Hamas. A chat member asked for help from other members to show the film at universities; it was later screened at Harvard<\/a>, a showing chat member Ackman helped facilitate<\/a>, attended and promoted<\/a> publicly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sternlicht declined to comment on the record, although a person close to him \u2014 speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the chat group publicly \u2014 confirmed the real estate tycoon initiated the chat. Other members of the chat, including Ackman and Schultz, confirmed their membership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A spokesman said Ackman had not participated in the chat since Jan. 10, adding Ackman never spoke to Adams about the Columbia protests or donated to Adams\u2019s campaign, although Ackman \u201clikes and is supportive of the Mayor.\u201d Joshua Kushner declined to comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Oct. 12, a staffer for Sternlicht relayed a message from his boss outlining the group\u2019s mission: While Israel worked to \u201cwin the physical war,\u201d the chat group\u2019s members would \u201chelp win the war\u201d of U.S. public opinion by funding an information campaign against Hamas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The news site Semafor reported<\/a> in November that Sternlicht was launching a $50 million anti-Hamas media campaign with various Wall Street and Hollywood billionaires. The people involved, per Semafor\u2019s reporting, include some members of the WhatsApp chat, a review by The Post found. The chat messages, the contents of which have never before been reported, appear to reveal the start of the campaign, as well as separate pro-Israel activities undertaken later by chat members. It is unclear to what extent the chat group and media campaign overlapped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the media campaign\u2019s activities were public, including its website<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, Facebook<\/a> and X<\/a> accounts, which together attracted more than 170,000 followers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

High-level contacts, private briefings<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At a moment of rising antisemitism, the staffer for Sternlicht wrote in one of the first chat messages that his boss was proud of his Jewish heritage and wanted to support Israel, but was also concerned about security. Anonymity, the staffer wrote Oct. 12 on Sternlicht\u2019s behalf, \u201cis a practical need and concern for safety of my family in an increasingly complex world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The staffer wrote that Sternlicht understood if other members felt similarly and promised that all contributions to the media campaign would remain anonymous. \u201cI\u2019m sensitive to concerns about being less effective if it appears that this is a Jewish initiative,\u201d the staffer wrote, speaking for Sternlicht.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the start of the chat, members sought guidance and information from officials in the Israeli government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the WhatsApp chat members said in the chat they attended private briefings about the Gaza war with Israeli war cabinet member Gantz, former prime minister Bennett and Herzog, the ambassador. The chat log shows Zoom invites for these meetings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMost appreciative for the behind the scenes briefing by Naftali Bennett,\u201d Schultz, the former CEO of Starbucks, wrote to the group on Oct. 16. \u201cQuite extraordinary!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bennett did not respond to a request for comment. Gantz could not be reached for comment. A spokesperson for the Israeli Embassy in Washington said the briefing Herzog gave chat members was \u201cone of dozens\u201d the ambassador delivered that month, adding that \u201ccommunities here in the U.S. understandably wanted to learn more about what was happening on the ground in Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A spokesperson for Schultz confirmed in a statement that he attended the briefing with Bennett, but said Schultz \u201cdid not participate in, or contribute financially to, any of the group\u2019s work.\u201d Schultz was neither involved in discussions about Adams and the Columbia protests nor screenings of the film, according to a spokesman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In late October, the chat records show, chat members appear to have suggested to Israeli officials they should hold a private New York City screening for media of \u201cBearing Witness,\u201d the IDF film featuring graphic footage recorded by Hamas gunmen on body cameras and cellphones as they attacked Israel. Sitt wrote in a message to the group on Oct. 27 that Israeli officials wanted to thank them \u201cfor coming up with the concept of the press event in NYC.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next month, the group showed the film in New York, records show. Sitt wrote on Nov. 10 that the Israeli government \u201carranged for us\u201d to screen the film in Gotham Hall on Nov. 17, adding in a later message the showing \u201cwill be listed as a IDF event not affiliated to Facts for Peace to keep them separate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In ensuing months, group members wrote in the chat to flag news articles or social media posts about Israel, events in Gaza or, later, college campus protests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018So NYPD can return\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Columbia students first set up an encampment April 17<\/a>, eventually leading some Jewish students to allege<\/a> the protests had forged<\/a> a hostile and harassing<\/a> atmosphere. Police stepped in to clear the encampment<\/a> at the Columbia president\u2019s request on April 18, arresting more than 100 demonstrators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the chat, discussion of how Adams was handling the Columbia protests \u2014 and how group members could help \u2014 took off the following day, after student protesters built a new encampment to replace the demolished one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lubetzky, of the snack company Kind, posted in the chat sharing a link to an Instagram video<\/a> showing an Israeli Arab journalist getting hit by a man the video caption claims is an \u201canti-Israel protester.\u201d Not long after, billionaire Blavatnik posted a picture of Adams and wrote, \u201cHe needs help.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sitt responded that he had already \u201cbeen helping but can use more support.\u201d He asked if others were \u201copen to giving\u201d to Adams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gabay, the Cypriot Israeli real estate billionaire, replied: \u201cPls send the info. Thanks.\u201d Then Blavatnik posted an ActBlue link<\/a> allowing donations to the Eric Adams 2025 committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lubetzky messaged: \u201cIf there is a group to contribute through, or a way to ensure our contributions are known to be related to his efforts to fight antisemitism and hate, pls let us know and I will support meaningfully alongside you guys.\u201d Sitt replied that he was arranging a \u201ccode\u201d for such donations; asked about this message, Vito Pitta, counsel to Adams\u2019s 2025 campaign, said \u201cthere is no \u2018special code\u2019 for contributions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A spokeswoman for Blavatnik said he contributed $2,100 to Adams\u2019s reelection campaign in April. She said the donation was given \u201cto endorse Mayor Adams\u2019 stalwart support of Israel and firm stand against antisemitism.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spokespeople for Lubetzky, Sitt and Gabay said they did not donate to Adams. Loeb declined to comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the chat, discussion turned to the fact that Columbia had to grant Adams permission before he could send city police to the campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One member asked if the group could do anything to pressure Columbia trustees to cooperate with the mayor. In reply, former congressman Ted Deutch (D-Fla.), CEO of the American Jewish Committee, shared a PDF of a letter<\/a> his organization had sent that day to Columbia President Minouche Shafik calling on her to \u201cshut these protests down.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAlso in touch with the board,\u201d Deutch wrote to the chat group. \u201cSo NYPD can return.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asked for comment, a spokeswoman for Deutch wrote in an email to The Post that the American Jewish Committee \u201cvalues all opportunities to engage with various individuals and institutions who support the Jewish people and the State of Israel.\u201d Asked about the chat group and its activities, a Columbia spokesperson wrote, \u201cWe have no knowledge of this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Zoom video call with chat group members and Adams took place a little after 11 a.m. April 26, according to chat records.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is unclear how many members attended the meeting, which lasted for roughly 45 minutes, chat records show. Those present included at least Blavatnik, Sitt, Loeb and Lubetzky, according to the chat logs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sitt wrote minutes after the call ended to summarize items \u201cdiscussed today,\u201d including donating to Adams, using group members\u2019 \u201cleverage\u201d to help persuade Columbia\u2019s president to let New York police back on campus and paying for \u201cinvestigative efforts\u201d to assist the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lubetzky replied listing concrete actions group members should take. These included resharing a link to offer financial support to Adams, calling and writing to Columbia\u2019s president and board of trustees, and \u201cgetting Black Leaders to condemn Anti-Semitism.\u201d He named several people he would contact and asked if anyone in the group knew Jay-Z, LeBron James or Alicia Keys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asked about his comments, Lubetzky wrote in a statement to The Post that \u201cbuilding bridges between the Black and Jewish communities \u2026 is more important than ever.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blavatnik, through a spokeswoman, confirmed he attended the Zoom with Adams but said he did not \u201cparticipate in a conversation about private investigators and is unaware of discussions related to that subject.\u201d The spokeswoman noted other people on the Zoom said things Blavatnik \u201cdid not weigh in on or agree with.\u201d She said the billionaire, a Columbia alumnus and donor, only joined the Zoom to understand how Adams \u201cwas thinking about the Columbia protests.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evening after the call, Sitt shared the ActBlue link for donations<\/a> to Adams\u2019s 2025 committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The chat does not record who donated money to Adams nor how much. The New York City Campaign Finance Board<\/a> website shows donations sent only up to January of this year; more recent donations will not become public until July<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pitta, the Adams campaign lawyer, said the campaign had not received donations from Lubetzky, Loeb, Sitt or Gabay. He confirmed Blavatnik had donated but did not respond to questions asking about the timing of Blavatnik\u2019s donation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A day after the April 26 Zoom with Adams, Loeb wrote the chat group to share reflections on what transpired during the call. He wrote that it was \u201ca sad state that we feel the need to grovel to ask our elected officials to do their jobs.\u201d He added, \u201cI\u2019ll be grateful when the perpetrators are dragged off campus.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Police returned to Columbia on April 30, arresting<\/a> dozens of demonstrators who had occupied a university building. Columbia President Shafik had requested law enforcement\u2019s aid in a letter, writing<\/a> that the takeover of Hamilton Hall raised \u201cserious safety concerns.\u201d She asked police to remain on campus at least through May 17.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The morning afterward, Adams gave a news conference<\/a> summarizing the action. \u201cWe went in and conducted an operation,\u201d he said, \u201cto remove those who have turned the peaceful protests into a place where antisemitism and anti-Israel attitudes were pervasive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In early May, seven months since its inception, the chat was shut down. A person close to Sternlicht said he decided to shutter the group because the activities were moving beyond the initial objectives and the people who started it \u2014 including himself \u2014 were no longer actively participating, and hadn\u2019t been for months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are incredibly grateful for the dialogue and support that this group has provided over the past 7 months,\u201d wrote a staffer for Sternlicht. The staffer wrote that members should not hesitate to reach out if they needed anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are stronger together,\u201d the staffer wrote in closing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hannah Natanson and Emmanuel Felton\/The Washington Post Pro-Palestinian protesters chant slogans while facing off against the New York Police Department at Columbia University in late April. (photo: Ed Ou\/The Washington Post) 17 may 24 (RSN.org) A WhatsApp chat started by some wealthy Americans after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack reveals… Continue reading → <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33781"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33781"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33781\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33782,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33781\/revisions\/33782"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33781"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33781"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33781"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}