House Republican leaders are vowing to confront anti-Israel protesters who are again taking over college campuses as the fall semester begins.
Activists have already begun defacing buildings and demonstrating at Columbia University in New York City, which became a hotbed of controversial activism in the spring.
“We must have a zero-tolerance policy toward anti-Semitic violence on campus that targets Jewish students. If the University won't hold protesters accountable, Congress will,” Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Louisiana, told Fox News Digital. “Last month, we issued subpoenas to several Columbia University officials, and we will continue to investigate and take action on the ground once students return to campus.”
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House Republican leaders including Steve Scalise, Mike Johnson and Elise Stefanik have spoken out against the anti-Israel protests at Columbia University. (Getty Images)
Republican Conference Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York similarly said, “Columbia University has repeatedly encouraged radical pro-Hamas mobs, endangered members of the Jewish community, and allowed anti-Semitic hatred to take root at this once-respected institution. House Republicans will do everything in their power to demand immediate action from Columbia University on behalf of Jewish students who want to continue their education without fear.”
“It's no wonder pro-terrorist mobs have returned to Colombia. Democrats have encouraged and empowered anti-Semites within their own party,” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) told Fox News Digital.
Emmer said House Republicans will “continue to send a strong signal” of their support for Israel and American Jewish students.
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On Thursday, September 3, a scuffle broke out during an anti-Israel protest at Columbia University, and people were seen falling to the ground. (Fox News)
Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, called on the White House to also speak out against the protests.
“It's the first day of classes at Columbia University and a pro-terrorist anti-Semitic mob is already back,” Johnson wrote on X. “The Biden-Harris Administration should immediately condemn this mob.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for response.
At least one protester was arrested during Tuesday's demonstrations in Manhattan, video showed, with the footage also showing activists pushing against barricades, and a second person was detained outside Barnard College, Columbia University's sister school.
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Anti-Israel demonstrations continued on Tuesday on the Columbia University campus in New York City. (AP/Yuki Iwamura)
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As the left remains divided over America's relationship with close Middle Eastern allies, Republicans see Israel as a unifying issue for the party.
But moderate Democrats point to the primary defeat of anti-Israel progressives as evidence of the left's ability to police its own anti-Semitism problem.
