House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) arrived at Columbia University on Wednesday to address the anti-Israel hate occurring on the campus.
Amid pro-Hamas protests from students, Johnson called on Columbia University president Minouche Shafik to resign, accusing her of failing to bring the chaos to a halt at the first sign of antisemitism.
“I am here today joining my colleagues and calling on President [Minouche] Shafik to resign if she cannot immediately bring order to this chaos," Johnson said.
He dismissed claims from supporters of the protests who say the demonstrators are merely expressing their First Amendment rights.
“Our feeling is that they have not acted to restore order on the campus," he continued. "This is dangerous. This is not free expression. This is not the First Amendment. They are threatening, intimidating."
As the Speaker spoke, hecklers yelled “We can't hear you" while chanting "Mike, you suck."
Others demanded him to “Step down or get fired already!”
Johnson criticized the officials from the Ivy League school for allowing “threats, the fear and the intimidation of the mob rule to overtake American principles like free speech and the free exchange of ideas and the free exercise of religion.”
He said that the level of hatred and antisemitism that has been flooding campuses as well as the country is unacceptable and must be “stopped in its tracks.”
Demonstrators have continuously called for violence and the killing of Israeli soldiers.
Videos of the protests show protestors yelling pro-terror chants, with some being in Arabic. Others demanded for Palestine to be “Arab” and free of Jews.
Protestors have also been chanting “There is no god but Allah, and the martyr is Allah’s beloved!” "Israel Go to Hell!” And “Resistance [Hamas] is justified!”
Johnson said he plans to call President Joe Biden this evening to pressure him into taking action against the anti-Israel hate happening at Columbia University. He suggested that the National Guard may need to be deployed.
“If this is not contained quickly, and if these threats and intimidation are not stopped, there is an appropriate time for the National Guard," he said. "We have to bring order to these campuses."
Administrators at Columbia have proven themselves to be incapable of achieving their basic responsibly – keeping students safe.
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) April 24, 2024
I join my colleagues in calling on President Shafik to resign.
Congress will not be silent as Jewish students are targeted on campus. pic.twitter.com/GARHwgKF0M
Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) who spoke alongside Johnson, also blasted Shafik, saying that the “inmates are running the asylum.”
Columbia University is not the only college to see anti-Israel hate.
The University of Southern California experienced sudden protests from Pro-Gaza students who were causing chaos among students.
Officers from the school were forced to interrupt several brawls as hundreds of students clashed with authorities.
HAPPENING NOW: Mass chaos breaks out at college campuses across the United States as pro-Palestine protests intensify.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) April 24, 2024
Columbia, Harvard, USC, University of Texas at Austin and others are getting swarmed by protesters.
Police at USC are taking out their batons as the… pic.twitter.com/D35wVTCiZ8