Speaker Mike Johnson is about to go to Columbia College on Wednesday amid pro-Palestinian protests on the college and schools throughout the nation.
The Republican speaker mentioned he’ll go to the New York-based college to fulfill with Jewish college students to debate the “troubling rise of virulent antisemitism on America’s school campuses”, after greater than 100 folks, together with many college students, had been arrested on campus final week throughout a pro-Palestinian protest.
Different Home Republicans will journey alongside Mr Johnson, together with Rep Anthony D’Esposito.
“Tomorrow, I’ll meet with Jewish @Columbia college students alongside @SpeakerJohnson to supply our full assist as they rejoice #Passover — all whereas antisemitic bigots lay siege to their college,” he mentioned in a press release posted to X. “@HouseGOP will all the time stand firmly towards antisemitism.”
Columbia College has been coping with days of pro-Palestinian protests and pro-Israel counterprotests.
The demonstrations started final week when lots of of protesters arrange an encampment on campus to protest towards the Biden administration’s response to the Israel-Hamas battle, backing a ceasefire within the battle and urging Congress to cease sending navy support to Israel. They’ve additionally demanded Columbia divest from firms with ties to Israel and enhance monetary transparency.
Nevertheless, the protest took a activate Thursday when New York police stormed the campus, arresting greater than 100 folks, together with Isra Hirsi, daughter of Minnesota congresswoman Ilhan Omar.
She was additionally suspended from the college. Since then, the protests have solely grown, with demonstrators organising a brand new encampment on campus and lots of of school members strolling out to protest towards the college president’s dealing with of the state of affairs.
Lessons had been additionally moved on-line for the remainder of the semester to “reset” the state of affairs and “de-escalate the rancour.”
On Tuesday, Columbia president Minouche Shafik issued a deadline for protesters to agree by midnight to vacate the pro-Palestinian encampment, and warned that if an settlement shouldn’t be reached, the varsity will “think about various choices for clearing the West Garden and restoring calm to campus”.
The deadline handed and not using a decision.
In the meantime, protests have additionally unfold to high schools throughout the nation, together with Yale and NYU, the place no less than 195 folks have been arrested, in addition to Tufts, Massachusetts Institute of Expertise, Emerson School, Boston College, the College of California Berkeley, and the College of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Since protests emerged, some Jewish college students have reported antisemitic harassment and even bodily assaults. One Jewish scholar at Columbia claimed that protesters advised him to “return to Poland” after he arrived at their protest with Israeli and American flags, whereas one other scholar at Yale who was overlaying a protest on Saturday as a scholar journalist mentioned that she was hit within the eye with a Palestinian flag after the attacker realised she was Jewish, leading to a hospital go to.
The accusations have seen politicians journey to campuses to fulfill Jewish college students, with a gaggle of 4 Jewish Democrats visiting Columbia on Monday. Rep Josh Gottheimer was among the many group, and threatened that college president Shafik should shortly act to quell protests or face penalties from Congress.
“We’re all standing right here right now as Jewish members of Congress to make one factor clear: Jewish college students are welcome right here at Columbia. And whereas the management of Columbia could also be failing you, we won’t,” Gottheimer mentioned through the go to.
“We’ll do every part in our energy to maintain you protected and do every part in Washington we will to just remember to really feel welcome at this college or any college throughout america of America,” he continued. “And Columbia College, in the event that they don’t observe by, pays the value.”
Kathy Hochul, governor of New York, additionally visited the campus on Monday and denounced the protests. A White Home assertion Sunday equally referred to as the demonstrations “blatantly antisemitic”.
In a press release on Sunday, protest leaders rejected claims that contributors inspired violence towards Jewish folks or advocated for antisemitism.
“We’re annoyed by media distractions specializing in inflammatory people who don’t signify us,” the leaders wrote. “Our members have been misidentified by a politically motivated mob.”
“We firmly reject any type of hate or bigotry and stand vigilant towards non-students trying to disrupt the solidarity being solid amongst college students,” they continued. “Palestinian, Muslim, Arab, Jewish, Black and pro-Palestinian classmates and colleagues who signify the total range of our nation.”