Dozens of lawmakers voted against a resolution on Thursday to condemn on-campus support for terrorist organizations.
The resolution, introduced on Oct. 19 by Republican Utah Rep. Burgess Owens, was to condemn terrorist groups like Hezbollah and Hamas “at institutions of higher education, which could “lead to the creation of a hostile environment for Jewish students, faculty, and staff,” according to the resolution. The House passed the resolution 396-23, with 14 members not voting. (RELATED: House Passes Israel Aid Bill Funded By IRS Cuts)
“It’s truly shameful that 20 members of the party that champions diversity, equity, and inclusion can’t muster the courage to condemn the rampant and abhorrent surge of antisemitism on American college campuses,” Owens told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Jewish students are living in fear, facing harassment, violent threats, and physical assault from their classmates who have glorified terrorism and echoed Hamas’ calls for genocide. There’s a moral crisis at the core of our higher education system that requires us all to condemn all acts of antisemitism, hate, and terror firmly and unequivocally.”
Democratic Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer, New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman, Missouri Rep. Cori Bush, Indiana Rep. Andre Carson, Florida Rep. Maxwell Frost, Illinois Rep. Jesus Garcia, California Rep. Jared Huffman, Illinois Rep. Jonathan Jackson and Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal were among the lawmakers who voted against the bill, according to the Office of the Clerk webpage.
Democratic Pennsylvania Rep. Summer Lee, Massachusetts Rep. James McGovern, New York Rep. Alexandria-Ocasio Cortez, Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Illinois Rep. Delia Ramirez, California Rep. Mark Takano, Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib, Illinois Rep. Lauren Underwood, New York Rep. Nydia Velazquez, California Rep. Maxine Waters, New Jersey Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman also voted against the bill.
Rep. Burgess Owens, R-UT, listens during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on voting rights on Capitol Hill in Washington,DC on April 20, 2021. (Photo by BILL CLARK/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Democratic New York Rep. Ritchie Torres initially voted against the bill, but later said on Twitter that it was a mistake and that he “submitted a correction for the record.”
Republican Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie also voted against the bill, according to the Office of the Clerk.
“Free speech means protecting speech you don’t like, not just speech you do like,” Massie said in a tweet.
Students on multiple college campuses around the U.S. held pro-Palestinian rallies following the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel. Many used slogans and imagery that are associated with violent acts.
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