Republican Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana clapped back at pro-Palestinian protesters during a Wednesday speech at Columbia University.
Columbia University President Nemat “Minouche” Shafik ordered classes to move online on Monday after an unauthorized pro-Palestinian encampment took place on campus recently, with New York Police Department (NYPD) officers arresting over 100 protesters on Thursday. Johnson noted that Columbia has been overtaken by “radical and extreme ideologies” and that Hamas has endorsed the pro-Palestinian protests on campus.
There were protesters screaming and chanting during Johnson’s speech where he called on Shafik to resign and expressed support for Jewish students, but they were unable to shut him down. (RELATED: Video Shows Police Clearing Pro-Palestinian Tent City At Columbia University)
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“Today Hamas issued an endorsement statement of the protesters on this campus. They called them the future leaders of America. It is detestable,” Johnson said. “All of this has to be said because the cherished traditions of this university are being overtaken right now by radical and extreme ideologies. They place a target on the backs of Jewish students in the United States and here on this campus. A growing number of students have chanted in support of terrorists, they have chased down Jewish students, they have mocked them and reviled them, they have shouted racial epithets, they have screamed at those who bear the star of David.”
The Hamas terrorist group launched a surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7 where it fired over 5,000 rockets, resulting in the deaths of over 1,200 people.
Protesters chanted and Johnson took a brief pause, saying, “Enjoy your free speech,” before continuing.
Columbia students message to Speaker Mike Johnson:
“Mike You Suck.”
The Speaker of the House is currently meeting with Jewish students at Columbia to discuss antisemitism on campus.
Earlier today he called for Columbia’s President to resign.
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) April 24, 2024
“Mike, you suck,” protesters chanted while Johnson delivered his remarks.
Pro-Palestinian protests have exploded on college campuses across the country in the wake of the Oct. 7 attack and Israel’s subsequent military campaign in Gaza.
Texas state troopers and the Austin Police Department on Wednesday surrounded anti-Israel protesters at the University of Texas at Austin as demonstrations have spread to other universities. The protesters asserted the Austin Police Department and Israel Defense Forces are equivalent to the Ku Klux Klan, chanting “APD, KKK, IDF, they’re all the same.”
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