2 weeks ago
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., person avoided visiting Columbia University arsenic anti-Israel and antisemitic demonstrations descend into chaos connected nan campus.
A pro-Palestinian business first developed connected nan Ivy League field earlier this period and soon evolved into an encampment, taking complete a information of nan outdoor abstraction astatine nan school.
It has persisted since then, being spurred connected by nan support of high-profile Democratic legislators from New York. Both Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., were seen visiting members of nan encampment arsenic it continued to summation nationalist media attraction and pull important backlash.
A spokesperson for Schumer did not respond to aggregate inquiries but referred Fox News Digital to nan mostly leader's Tuesday remarks connected nan Senate floor, successful which he addressed nan protests.
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Prominent Democratic lawmakers, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, person avoided visiting Columbia University amid ongoing and escalating anti-semitic demonstrations. (Getty Images)
"Smashing windows pinch hammers and taking complete assemblage buildings is not free reside — it is lawlessness, and those who did it should promptly look nan consequences that are not merely a slap connected nan wrist," Schumer said, referencing nan demonstrators' caller takeover of a building connected Columbia's campus.
The New York Democrat's agency would not opportunity whether he would travel nan lead of House GOP activity and sojourn nan school, which happens to beryllium successful his location state.
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., past week led respective Republicans connected a sojourn to nan assemblage amid nan demonstration, remarking astatine nan time, "We person to bring bid to these campuses. We cannot let this to hap astir nan country. We are amended than this."
On Tuesday, Johnson revealed he called connected President Biden to make his ain sojourn to nan schoolhouse arsenic protests escalate.
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Gillibrand, Schumer's New York counterpart who has been outspoken successful her support for Israel, besides did not respond to Fox News Digital's enquiry regarding immoderate planned visits to Columbia aliases whether she supported "Squad Democrats" cheering connected nan protesters.
"I americium appalled astatine nan virulent antisemitism being displayed connected Columbia University’s campus," Gillibrand said successful a connection past week. "Threats of unit against Jewish students and nan Jewish organization are horrible, bad and wholly unacceptable. Using nan rhetoric of terrorists has nary spot successful New York, wherever we pridefulness ourselves connected tolerance and nan correct of each group to believe their belief successful peace."
Rep. Jared Moskowitz said Jewish students are not being protected astatine Columbia University and compared anti-Israel protesters to ‘White Aryan’ protesters astatine Charlottesville. (Getty Images)
House Democrats, including respective representing New York, person besides made their concerns about nan protests known. In a missive signed by 21 lawmakers and led by Reps. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., and Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., nan Democrats urged nan university’s Board of Trustees to dismantle "the unauthorized and impermissible encampment of anti-Israel, anti-Jewish activists connected campus," telling them "time for speech is over."
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Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer were among those to denounce antisemitism connected Columbia's campus, joining their Republican colleagues. (Getty Images)
Another New York Democrat, Rep. Ritchie Torres, a signatory of nan letter, hasn't visited nan field since nan encampment began, but told Fox News Digital, "I person gone to Columbia University connected respective occasions — whether it is gathering pinch Jewish Students astatine Columbia Law School aliases joining students for Shabbat astatine nan Columbia Chabad. I will proceed to do truthful successful nan future."
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Rep. Thomas Suozzi, D-N.Y., who precocious took complete nan spot of expelled erstwhile Rep. George Santos, was besides a signatory of nan letter. He shared a bid of posts to X past week, detailing his sojourn to Columbia during nan protests.
"Yesterday I went to Columbia University to show my support for nan Jewish students who person faced harassment, intimidation and vicious antisemitic attacks connected campus," he said successful 1 post.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., denounced nan sojourn of "a Member of Congress" to nan encampment, "who accused immoderate Jewish students of being, ‘pro-genocide.’" He was referencing Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., who said connected video past week, "I deliberation it is really unfortunate that group don’t attraction astir nan truth that each Jewish kids should beryllium kept safe, and that we should not person to tolerate antisemitism aliases bigotry for each Jewish students, whether they’re pro-genocide aliases anti-genocide."
Elizabeth Elkind is simply a authorities newsman for Fox News Digital starring sum of nan House of Representatives. Previous integer bylines seen astatine Daily Mail and CBS News.
Follow connected Twitter astatine @liz_elkind and nonstop tips to [email protected]
