When Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) visited George Washington University alongside Reps. James Comer (R-KY), Byron Donalds (R-FL), and Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), the event was marked by a distinctive and confrontational atmosphere. Welcome from campus protesters.
The daily beast reported that during her visit, coinciding with a student camp advocating for the university to divest from corporations linked to Israel, protesters chanted “Beetlejuice” at Boebert. This chant was in reference to a 2023 incident in which Boebert was kicked out of a Denver theater during a performance of “Beetlejuice: The Musical” for vaping and inappropriate behavior.
“It is time for the mayor [Muriel] “Bowser becomes aggressive to maintain security here on this campus and the surrounding perimeter,” Boebert said, adding that protesters were being “very disrespectful.” At one point, Boebert unsuccessfully attempted to remove a Palestinian flag that had been placed over a statue of George Washington, saying, “This is America, and that s— needs to come down.”
Boebert’s interaction with protesters escalated when she attempted, unsuccessfully, to remove a flag from the protest site. This generated criticism on social media, where one user commented that Boebert “has no right to touch that person’s flag,” highlighting that his visit to the university was the closest thing to a university environment, given Boebert’s academic background. he.
Boebert, who did not complete high school but later earned her GED in 2020 Before his run for Congress, he used a megaphone to address the crowd, which included signs such as “gays for Gaza” and “queer and trans people for a liberated Palestine.” Adding to the political tension, Rep. Comer, chairman of the House Oversight Committee, declared during the visit that his committee would hold hearings on pro-Palestine protests on college campuses, singling out the George Washington University protest as a important concern.
Boebert supported Comer’s stance with a controversial statement threatening to cut federal funding to the university if professors, some of whom she said were participating in the protests, did not address the issue. She commented: “If you don’t want to do something to address this? Well, then say goodbye to your federal funds.”
The situation at George Washington University is part of a broader national and global movement, with nearly 100 university campuses around the world hosting similar Palestinian solidarity protests, as reported Al Jazeera. These protests have led to the arrest of around 1,300 students, teachers and others in a nationwide crackdown on the largely non-violent movement, which is demanding divestment from companies that support Israeli policies and an end to US military funding to Israel.
This ongoing conflict and associated protests are influenced by broader geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, particularly recent actions in Gaza initiated by Israel following a Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians. During the conflict Hamas has taken hostages and efforts to secure their release continue as the situation evolves.
