Democrats split over campus protest crackdown

Senate Democrats in a heated election campaign are calling on university presidents to crack down on campus protests that have gotten out of control, with footage showing protesters smashing windows and unfurling Palestinian flags threatening President Biden. It has become a political issue for its allies.

But leading progressives are defending students’ right to protest and pushing back against calls for the federal government to intervene on campuses across the country.

“It is 100 percent unacceptable for Jewish students or any other student to be harmed on campus,” said Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), who faces a tough re-election race this fall.

“This is pure and blatant anti-Semitism and must be stopped. It should not be tolerated,” she added.

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), one of the Senate’s most vulnerable incumbents, said, “We all insist that anti-Semitism, hatred and violence are unacceptable.”

Asked about the protesters who occupied Hamilton Hall in the middle of Columbia University’s campus, smashing windows and unfurling “Intifada” banners, he said, “The law must be enforced.”

One Democratic senator, who requested anonymity, said Biden and the Democratic Party need to step up their condemnation of displays of anti-Semitism on college campuses.

“We all need to do more. This rears its ugly head,” the senator said, calling it a “huge challenge” to address given First Amendment protections for political speech. admitted that.

“It’s not easy for everyone. It’s certainly not easy. [Biden.] We need to stop it,” they continued.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York on Tuesday denounced the “lawlessness” on Columbia University’s campus.

“Campuses cannot be places of learning, discussion and debate if protests turn into crimes,” he warned.

“And when Jewish students are targeted for being Jewish, when protests are met with abuse, organized intimidation, or the glorification of murderous and hateful Hamas and the violence of October 7th, “It’s also unpredictable when it comes to behavior,” he said.

Some Republicans have criticized Biden for not speaking out more about campus protests.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky called on the Justice Department to investigate possible civil rights violations of Jewish students.

“Unless moral clarity prevails in the ivory tower and in the Biden administration, this could go down as a particularly shameful episode,” he said on the Senate floor.

Senate Republican Conference Chairman John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) called on Biden to restore order.

“Joe Biden will disrupt more than he will act. Why would he bow down to pro-Hamas protesters? It’s because he knows the election is coming and he needs their votes.” body,” he said. “What the president needs to do is enforce the law, restore order to campuses, and get students back into the classroom.”

Democratic strategists say that to win, Biden will need to get young voters to the polls in November, and recent polls show that a majority of young voters are He admits that he feels more sympathetic to Palestinians than Israelis.

a New York Times/Siena College Poll A survey of 1,059 registered voters nationwide from April 7 to 11 found that 45 percent of voters between the ages of 18 and 29 sympathized more with Palestinians than with Israelis involved in the conflict. It has been found. Only 15% of the same group said they felt more sympathy for Israel.

Clashes between demonstrators and police, or between demonstrators and counter-protesters, occurred ahead of the 2020 election, when Republican candidates ran against the movement to “defund the police.” It evokes memories of the Black Lives Matter protests that roiled the city.

The growing unrest on campus has Democrats worried about their presidential nominating convention in Chicago in August.

Some Democratic senators said the clashes between police and anti-Vietnam War demonstrators that rocked the 1968 Democratic convention divided the party in the run-up to the same year’s election in which Richard Nixon defeated Vice President Hubert Humphrey. There are concerns that this will happen again.

But Democrats are divided over whether Congress needs to put more pressure on universities and presidents to crack down on campus unrest.

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania), an outspoken critic of pro-Palestinian protests and calling campus demonstrations “Hamas pup tents,” said he would place “conditions” on federal aid to universities. He said he was positive. Protests spiral out of control.

“I think there will be consequences,” he said. “Hate speech is rampant in all of this and I don’t understand how this can be tolerated.”

Asked about cuts to federal funding, Fetterman said, “There are parts of my party that favor terms on military aid to Israel.”

“Then we should put conditions on many of these universities,” he said.

Fetterman said Wednesday that he supports the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act, which passed the House with strong bipartisan support.

The bill would direct the Department of Education to adopt the definition of anti-Semitism sponsored by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance to enforce anti-discrimination laws.

The bill divided House Democrats, with Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (New York) voting in favor, while the leading Democratic opponent, Rep. Jerry Nadler (New York), voted against the bill. I objected.

Nadler warned that the bill could “chill” constitutionally protected speech.

“Speech critical of Israel alone does not amount to unlawful discrimination. By encompassing purely political speech regarding the ambitions of Title VI, this bill is too broad,” he argued before the vote.

The bill passed the House on a 320-91 vote, leaving Schumer with a tough decision on whether to take it up.

A total of 133 House Democrats voted in favor, including prominent liberals such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (New York), Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.), and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.). 70 Democratic members of Congress voted. no.

Asked about the matter before the House vote, Schumer declined to say what he would do if the bill were introduced in the Senate.

“We have yet to see what the House will send us,” he said.

Asked if Biden needed to be “more vocal in condemning” violence and anti-Semitism on college campuses, Schumer said, “I’ve made my thoughts clear… There is no violence and anti-Semitism on campus.” There is no room for ideology.”

The debate over campus protests is already polarizing Senate Democrats.

Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pennsylvania), who faces a difficult re-election race in presidential battleground states, announced earlier this month that he and possible Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. Tim Scott (R.C.) introduced. Enactment of the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act.

“Laws must be enforced on campus. If people are engaging in violence or destruction of property, campus rules must be enforced. What I’m saying here is expulsion or some form of It means action. And there’s also a law enforcement component,” Casey said.

“When anti-Semitic behavior occurs on campus, there should be consequences,” he said.

“Second, so that the Office of Civil Rights within the Department of Education can initiate these investigations, complete them in a timely manner, and issue sanctions or penalties if hostile conduct is determined. “We need to provide appropriations for the environment,” he said.

However, Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vermont) took to the Senate floor late Wednesday to defend the right of students to protest at Columbia University, saying that in 1968 anti-Vietnam War protesters were in the same building in Hamilton.・I pointed out that they had occupied the hall.

“I wanted to take a moment to remind my colleagues about the document we call the Constitution of the United States, and specifically its First Amendment,” he said on the Senate floor.

Sanders criticized a protester who threw a brick through a window at Columbia University and a counter-demonstration on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles, which attacked what Sanders called a “peaceful encampment of anti-war protesters.” blamed the participants.

He said politicians and pundits are accusing today’s anti-war protesters of anti-Semitism in order to deflect scrutiny from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s overwhelming use of force in Gaza. he claimed.

“Using charges of anti-Semitism to distract from the immoral and illegal war policies pursued by Prime Minister Netanyahu’s extremist and racist government is outrageous and shameful.” he declared.