California Republican Steve Hilton and Democratic former state Sen. Gloria Romero jointly called on Friday for the state’s universities to return classes to campus and resume graduation ceremonies that were canceled due to anti-Israel protests. .
“We cannot speak for the vast majority of hard-working students who complete their studies in the normal way and who desire and expect one of the most important moments in their lives: matriculation, graduation, and continuation.” I feel very strongly that business as usual is not being disrupted by this vocal and sometimes violent minority,” Hilton, a former Fox News host and political consultant, said Friday. , told FOX News Digital.
“Instead of confronting the rioters at UCLA, and especially the University of California, as we often see on other UCLA campuses, the leaders of UCLA, and the state’s political leaders, are doing absolutely nothing.” “We are not doing anything to insist that classes go on as usual,” he said.
Hilton and Romero, who last year founded the bipartisan group Golden Together to change the direction of California, held a press conference at UCLA on Friday morning, saying, “California’s university leaders have made it clear that they are “I’m coming,” he begged. The remainder of the semester will return, graduation ceremonies will take place as planned, Jewish students: their safety and security will be protected, and our commitment to the Jewish cultural community and welfare organizations is currently being met. We intend to deny these demands that the campus will be closed or have its funding cut off. We will confront the mob and enforce the rule of law. ‘That’s what we wanted today. ”
UCLA forced to move to remote learning amid anti-Semitic protests and on-campus encampments
Anti-Israel demonstrators at UCLA this week. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
The two also sent a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom and Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, arguing that a “woeful lack of leadership” “led to unnecessary punishment.”[ment of] Students of California’s great public universities. ”
The letter goes on to say, “This time, it is not so much caused by a misguided lockdown as by a minority of students (external agitators) selfishly imposing a divisive extremist and often racist ideology. “This is caused by bullying and harassment of people, including people,” he said. In the name of protests that have already been declared “illegal”.
Golden Together’s letter asked California state leaders to ensure that “all commencement ceremonies and commencement ceremonies will take place as scheduled from June 13th to 16th.”
University of Southern California student says anti-Israel radicals won’t silence Jewish voices: ‘They won’t do it.’
“We want to do it in a bipartisan way. Steve is a Republican and I’m a Democrat,” Romero told Fox News Digital.
Romero said he is a graduate of the University of California and worked as a postdoctoral researcher at UCLA.
Anti-Israel demonstrators hold signs during the graduation ceremony for the University of California, Berkeley School of Law at the Greek Theater in Berkeley, California, on Friday. (Jessica Christian/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
“That’s why it was important for us to go.” [to UCLA] Both Steve and I have participated in protests in the past, because we truly believe in the right to protest, but we believe in actually suppressing the actual physical freedom of movement of Jewish students on campus. It wasn’t that bad,” Romero said. He said.
She added that UCLA’s elected leaders “sadly and shamefully … went into hiding.”
Hilton told FOX News Digital that UCLA’s campus “looks like a ghost town.”
Protesters set up camp at the University of California, Irvine. (Qian Weizhong/VCG, via Getty Images)
“No one is studying there, the schools are closed and these are the students. Remember, they have already been punished once during the lockdown and even with unnecessary educational closures. Yes,” he said. “So they’ve been thwarted twice now, and we think that’s completely outrageous. It’s a complete lack of leadership.”
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“We have to give meaning to ‘Never Forget,’ and that means speaking out,” Romero added.
The governor’s office and the University of California’s chancellor’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.
