ALBAWABA - A WhatsApp chat group of wealthy businessmen and billionaires is pressuring New York City Mayor Eric Adams to use police force to terminate Columbia University student protests, according to US media.
According to messages obtained by The Washington Post and authenticated by numerous members, the organization pushed Mayor Adams to participate in last month's pro-Palestinian student demonstrations at the campus.
The WhatsApp group sought to "alter the narrative of the Gaza conflict in favor of Israel among the American public." The famous American millionaire and real estate developer Barry Sternlicht founded it after October 7, 2023.
The group, which had over 100 members—many of whom are Forbes billionaires—allegedly discussed ways to persuade Mayor Adams to send police to break up university demonstrators.
Real estate mogul Joseph Sitt, hedge fund managers Daniel Loeb and Bill Ackman, and "Kind" snack brand founder Daniel Lubetzky were major group members. On April 26, Mayor Adams discussed sending police to the school to break up demonstrators in a Zoom session.
The communications also suggested funding the New York Police Department and hiring private detectives to handle protests and support Mayor Adams.
They also discussed how African-American leaders must repudiate anti-Semitism and pondered contacting Jay-Z, LeBron James, and Alicia Keys.
Michael Dell, the founder and CEO of Dell, and Joshua and Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of late US President Donald Trump, reportedly discussed similar issues with Mayor Adams.
The Columbia University administration has denied knowing about the WhatsApp group or the businesspeople's conduct, but some group members tried to encourage university supporters to work with Mayor Adams.
The chat archives do not record how much the group donated to Mayor Adams.
In November 2023, Sternlicht was accused of launching a $50 million PR campaign against Hamas with the support of several millionaires, including WhatsApp group members.
On April 18, police arrested 108 Columbia University students during mid-April protests against the school's financial support of Israel's Gaza operations.
Similar rallies have spread to other campuses, garnering national attention and sparking discussions regarding Palestinian students' free speech at US universities.
