ANKARA 

Students and faculty at Northwestern University in the US state of Illinois protested the Trump administration’s education policies following the freezing of $790 million in federal funding for “human rights investigations.”

Protesters urged the university administration on Thursday to stand up for the rights of students, staff and faculty members.

Student representatives acknowledged the risks they faced by taking a public stance but said they refused to succumb to fear and expected that the institution would adopt a similar position.

“The Trump administration claims that they are attacking higher education to root out antisemitism on campus, but we know they do not and have never cared about your safety,” said one representative.

“This is not about antisemitism. It's about using Jews as an excuse to attack free speech.”

Mark Hoffman, a university official, told Anadolu that recent federal policies such as student visa cancellations and financial aid restrictions undermine the right to protest.

Hoffman argued that US President Donald Trump is seeking to eliminate individuals and institutions that oppose him.

“There’s protests at over 250 colleges and universities across the United States today. That's the national action to take back higher education. I'm hoping that we raise more awareness,” he said.

“I'm hoping that the more people we get educated about these issues, they'll speak up.”