House Speaker Mike Johnson intervened in hostile scenes at Columbia University as the Republican confronted a mass of anti-Israel protesters on Wednesday.
Johnson ignored the students’ boos and jeers and instead condemned the protest, the latest of the “virus of anti-Semitism.”
He criticized the crowds at Columbia as “lawless agitators and radicals” and questioned their ability to become “America’s leaders,” while praising Jewish students who remain committed to their education.
“We will not stand by silently while Jewish students are expected to run for their lives,” Johnson warned.
The crowd shouted and booed in an attempt to get on Johnson’s nerves, but Johnson was unfazed.
‘Enjoy your freedom of expression!’ she replied as she left before giving him one last slap, “Stop wasting your parents’ money.”
Johnson ignored the students’ boos and jeers and instead condemned the protest, the latest of the “virus of anti-Semitism.”
The Louisiana lawmaker arrived at the New York campus Wednesday afternoon, hours after calling for Columbia’s president to resign on a morning radio show.
“What we’re seeing on these college campuses across the country is disgusting and unacceptable,” Johnson told The Hugh Hewitt Show.
“Every leader in this country, every political official, every citizen of good conscience has to speak up and say this is not who we are in America and we have to be held accountable.”
His decision to defy protesters in New York came two days after more than 100 pro-Palestinian students and professors were arrested by the NYPD in angry scenes on the nearby New York University (NYU) campus.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (pictured Saturday) will confront pro-Palestinian protesters on the campus of Columbia University, hours after calling for the university’s president to resign.
Columbia is among dozens of universities that have been caught up in protests between Israel and Hamas in recent weeks.
So-called ‘Gaza camps’ have become common on university campuses across the country, where students set up tents and refuse to move in the face of law enforcement.
Columbia is among dozens of universities that have been caught up in the protests between Israel and Hamas, and other prestigious universities, such as Harvard and MIT, have been plunged into chaos.
So-called “Gaza camps” have become common on campuses in recent weeks, where students set up tents and refuse to move in the face of law enforcement.
For Johnson, his visit to Columbia University was a clear sign of his support for Israel in the ongoing conflict, after he pushed a sweeping foreign aid bill that sent $26 billion to Israel.
He will also meet with Jewish students on campus and share a meal with the university’s Rabbi Yuda Drizin.
After their meeting, Johnson’s office said he would hold a news conference, where he is expected to double down on his call for the resignation of Columbia President Nemat Shafik.
On the morning radio show, he called her “unconscionable” and added that she “has proven to be a very weak and inept leader.”
‘Can’t they even guarantee the safety of Jewish students? Are they expected to run for their lives and stay home from class? It’s just, it’s, it’s maddening,’ she said.
The speaker of the House of Representatives has also called for a halt to federal funding for universities that do not suppress anti-Israel protests.
Johnson’s decision to defy protesters in New York came two days after more than 100 pro-Palestinian students and faculty were arrested by NYPD in angry scenes on the nearby New York University (NYU) campus. ) (in the photo).
Johnson’s visit was welcomed by none other than those on the Columbia campus, as New York Gov. Kathy Hochul told reporters Wednesday that he should stay in Washington.
“I think politicizing this and making the environment focus on this only increases the division,” Hochul said.
“A speaker worthy of that title should try to heal people and not divide them, so I don’t think that adds anything.”