Patriots' Robert Kraft: Anti-Israel protests 'scaring a lot of people'
Kraft pulled his support from Columbia last month
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}New England Patriots team owner Robert Kraft implored Americans to speak out against hate at college campuses across the U.S. in recent weeks.
Kraft appeared on Fox News Channel’s "Hannity" Wednesday night as he prepares to release full-page ads in several newspapers across the country later this week.
"I think our universities were one of our competitive advantages as a country, and I think what’s going on now throughout America is scaring a lot of people," Kraft said.
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New England Revolution owner/investor Robert Kraft with family members looking for the release of loved ones in Gaza before a match between the New England Revolution and FC Cincinnati March 17, 2024, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. (Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
"They want to know we’re going to win this battle. And I just ask, ‘Are you good listeners who care about this country to speak up now?’ Universities used to be where you had critical debate and different points of view. We didn’t teach hate and intimidation."
Kraft, who attended Columbia University, will take out ads in newspapers on behalf of his Foundation to Combat Antisemitism. His foundation released a Super Bowl ad this year to raise awareness about antisemitism and other causes.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Anti-Israel protesters rally outside Columbia University in New York City Tuesday, April 30, 2024. Columbia announced its campus would remain closed "until circumstances allow otherwise" after students occupied Hamilton Hall. (Rashid Umar Abbasi for Fox News Digital)
"The reason I took these ads out (is) I want people to know that good people — and they’ve come to our foundation — they really care, and they have to speak up and not be silent – the way Martin Luther King spoke about it with (Clarence B. Jones)," he explained.
"I’m the biggest beneficiary of what America has to offer. I got a full academic scholarship to Columbia. I dreamt big dreams. I went through tough times, but it’s the greatest country in the world. And I’m privileged, among other things, to own an NFL franchise in my hometown. I didn’t have a car until I was 25. I want to keep those values alive for everyone that comes to this country."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Kraft called for "empathy," not hatred.
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft prior to a game against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium Sept. 11, 2022, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
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The Patriots owner pulled his support from his alma mater last month as the anti-Israel violence at Columbia raged.
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