WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson held a news conference Tuesday with the chairs of several key congressional committees to warn university presidents to control protests on their campuses and protect Jewish students from bigoted and threatening speech.
“This is not a gray issue. There is right and wrong here,” Johnson said.
The Louisiana Republican called on university presidents to end on-campus encampments and allow the return of students, threatening them with continued investigations and loss of government grants if they do not.
“This is not the free expression of ideas. … This is threatening, violent, inciting speech,” he said.
“They are breaking the law; they are destroying property,” he said of protesters. “This is not who we are.”
Republican leaders threatened to bring college administrators to Washington to answer for the continued disruptions on campuses across the nation.
“As Republican leaders we have a clear message for mealy-mouthed, spineless college leaders: Congress will not tolerate your dereliction of duty to your Jewish students,” said House Education and Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., whose committee has been investigating antisemitism on college campuses. “No stone must go unturned while buildings are being defaced, campus greens are being captured or graduations are being ruined.”
Johnson singled out slogans and symbolism heard at some protests that some say supports the destruction of Israel, and he referred to Israel as “the most precious ally that we have.”
“Antisemitism is a virus and it will spread if it is not stamped out,” he said.
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