Major university cuts ties with US-sanctioned UN expert on Palestinian issues, watchdog says

Georgetown University has cut ties with a United Nations expert who is facing U.S. sanctions, according to a watchdog group.

The organization U.N. Watch recently reported that U.N. Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese was removed from Georgetown's list of affiliated scholars. U.N. Watch CEO Hillel Neuer posted on Dec. 21, "U.N. Hamas apologist Francesca Albanese has been removed from Georgetown University."

"Thank you, [Georgetown]. It's time to expel all terror supporters from our universities," Neuer wrote on X.

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Neuer also posted screenshots showing Albanese's profile on the university's website as it appeared before she was removed from the list, as well as an image of the page showing an error.

Georgetown described Albanese as "an international lawyer and researcher and the author of various publications and opinions on the question of Palestinian refugees," according to the screenshots Neuer posted.

"Georgetown University made the right decision. Academic institutions should not lend credibility to Francesca Albanese, who has been publicly condemned by democratic allies for antisemitism and Holocaust inversion. Universities exist to uphold intellectual honesty and historical truth, not to legitimize distortions of history or rhetoric that excuses violence against civilians. Accountability matters, and this step reinforces that principle," Heather Johnston, founder of the U.S. Israel Education Association, told Fox News Digital.

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In July, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced sanctions against Albanese, saying she "has directly engaged with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in efforts to investigate, arrest, detain or prosecute nationals of the United States or Israel, without the consent of those two countries." Rubio noted in the announcement that neither the U.S. nor Israel have signed onto the Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the ICC.

"Albanese has spewed unabashed antisemitism, expressed support for terrorism, and open contempt for the United States, Israel, and the West," the State Department announcement reads.

Several countries have condemned Albanese's statements in the past, often saying her remarks were antisemitic.

In February 2024, Albanese was condemned by France and Germany after saying French President Emmanuel Macron was wrong to call Hamas’ Oct. 7 events "the largest antisemitic massacre of our century." In her response, she said, "The victims of 7/10 were not killed because of their Judaism but in response to Israel’s oppression."

France said Albanese seemed to "justify" the attacks and her remarks were "all the more scandalous given that the fight against anti-Semitism and all forms of racism are at the heart of the founding of the U.N," according to the ADL.

Germany also responded to Albanese, saying, "To justify the horrific terror attacks of 7/10 [and] deny their antisemitic nature is appalling. Making such statements in a U.N. capacity is a disgrace and goes against everything the United Nations stand for."

Fox News Digital reached out to Albanese, U.N. Watch and Georgetown University for comment.

Brown University police chief placed on leave after deadly shooting as Trump admin opens investigation

Brown University placed its police chief on leave after a deadly campus shooting claimed the lives of two people and left another nine injured.

Vice President for Public Safety and Emergency Management Rodney Chatman was placed on administrative leave, Brown University President Christina H. Paxson announced on Monday. Her action comes just over a week after authorities said 48-year-old Claudio Manuel Neves Valente opened fire at the university's Barus and Holley engineering and physics building on Dec. 13. Five victims remain at Rhode Island Hospital in stable condition.

Former Providence Police Department Chief Hugh T. Clements was appointed to replace Chatman on an interim basis. Paxson's decision came as the Department of Education opened an investigation into Brown University for potential violations of the Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act (Clery Act).

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The Clery Act requires colleges to meet certain campus safety and security-related requirements as a condition of receiving federal student aid. 

"After two students were horrifically murdered at Brown University when a shooter opened fire in a campus building, the Department is initiating a review of Brown to determine if it has upheld its obligation under the law to vigilantly maintain campus security," Education Secretary Linda McMahon said.

"Students deserve to feel safe at school, and every university across this nation must protect their students and be equipped with adequate resources to aid law enforcement," she added. "The Trump Administration will fight to ensure that recipients of federal funding are vigorously protecting students’ safety and following security procedures as required under federal law."  

Paxson also announced that an "After-Action Review" will take place following the deadly mass shooting, and announced a number of campus security enhancements

According to the most recent data available, Paxson was the second-highest paid Ivy League president in 2023, earning an estimed $3.1 million. Her total compensation has increased by over 700% since 2012, according to data compiled by the Brown Daily Herald.

The security enhancements include additional security camera coverage, which will include the Barus and Holley building. Before the Dec. 13 mass shooting.

"As we work to heal and recover, our primary focus is to nurture a thriving campus by attending to the psychological and social health of all members of our community while we also demonstrate that Brown is still Brown — a safe, inclusive, caring community of talented students and scholars and dedicated staff," Paxson wrote.

During an earlier news conference, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said there were few or no cameras in the area of the building where the shooting happened.

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"So, there's the back part of the building, the old part, and the front part, the new part," Neronha told reporters. "The shooting occurs in the old part towards the back … and that older part of the building, there are fewer, if any, cameras in that location, I imagine, because it's an older building."

Additional details about the shooting have since emerged, including:

- A Brown University custodian said he saw the suspected gunman almost a dozen times beginning in November.

- Brown University retained former U.S. Attorney for Rhode Island Zachary Cunha as it prepares for possible lawsuits.

Chatman was placed on leave following a report from The Boston Globe, which spoke with the custodian, Derek Lisi, who said he saw the alleged shooter at Barus and Holley weeks before the shooting and alerted a security guard.

"I said, ‘Something’s off with this guy, so I gotta say something,’" Lisi recalled thinking when he saw the man on Dec. 1 before going on vacation. "I told my friend, ‘I hope it’s not the guy I’ve been seeing. I hope it’s not.'"

A Brown University spokesperson said it works with outside counsel on some issues.

"Brown works routinely with outside counsel whose expertise complements that of the University's Office of the General Counsel. In this case, we retained Zachary Cunha, the former United States Attorney for the District of Rhode Island, to assist the University in coordinating with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies," a Brown spokesperson said.

Fox News Digital reached out to Brown University for comment.

Fox News Digital's Louis Casiano contributed to this report.

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