(Bloomberg) -- Ken Griffin, a Harvard University alumnus and one of the school’s largest donors, lashed out at the protests that have spread across elite college campuses, calling them the product of a “failed education system.”

Columbia University canceled its main commencement less than a week after calling in police to crack down on pro-Palestinian protesters who occupied a campus building. Harvard warned demonstrators to end an encampment in the school’s iconic Harvard Yard or face consequences including suspension. 

“The only thing I can say about Harvard is we look much better given what we see at Columbia,” Griffin said Monday at the Milken Institute Global Conference. “I scratch my head — the audacity. The students seize one of the halls, commit acts of vandalism and — and I love this — and then try to negotiate for humanitarian aid.”

Griffin, who last year announced a $300 million gift to Harvard, said he was standing by his decision to curtail donations until the school “recommits itself to meritocracy in a very public and profound way.” Earlier this year, he accused elite US colleges of producing “whiny snowflakes” instead of future leaders. 

College campuses nationwide have been thrown into turmoil since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, which is designated a terrorist organization by the US, and the Jewish state’s retaliatory response in Gaza. Israel’s bombardment and ground attack on the Palestinian territory have killed almost 35,000 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. 

On US campuses, months of turmoil have stoked accusations of antisemitism as well as concern about suppression of free speech for pro-Palestinian voices. In recent weeks, university leaders have drawn reproach for bringing in police for what critics called a heavy-handed crackdown. 

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