Top Democrats are slamming House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) after he delivered an impassioned speech condemning anti-Israel protests on Columbia University’s campus.
“Why should I listen to a man who thinks he should have more say over my body than I do? Next time,” said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. wrote an X article under a photo of Mr. Johnson at Columbia University.
She responded to reports that students heckled Mr. Johnson by saying, “Well, he’s trying to take away all of their reproductive rights.”
Prime Minister Johnson and several New York House Republicans – Nicole Malliotakis, Anthony D’Esposito and Mike Lawler – were at the Ivy in Manhattan on Thursday, along with Jewish students who feared for their safety after days of demonstrations. Visited the league campus.
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House Speaker Mike Johnson has come under fire from Democrats for condemning anti-Israel protests on Columbia University’s campus. (Getty Images)
Speakers denounced the “mob” of pro-ceasefire activists who had set up camp on the Columbia campus and the faculty and staff who supported them. Those protesters loudly booed Johnson’s remarks on Thursday, and at one point he retorted: “Enjoy your freedom of speech.”
In comments to reporters in Albany, New York Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul accused Johnson of politicizing the demonstrations. To Politico.
“I don’t think it will accomplish anything because any speaker worthy of that title would be making a real effort to heal people, not divide them,” Hochul said. “It seems to me that Washington has more responsibilities and crises to deal with…I encourage the Speaker to go back and work on maybe an immigration bill, a bill that deals with border closures, so we don’t have to deal with the problem. “The real crisis New York has.” ”
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New York Governor Kathy Hochul has instructed House Speaker Mike Johnson to “return” to Washington. (Howard Schnapp/Newsday RM via Getty Images)
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), whose daughter was arrested at a Colombian encampment earlier this week, went a step further, saying Johnson was putting people’s lives at risk.
“It is not surprising that he would go out to Columbia University, stoke even more anger and hatred, and endanger the lives of the young people in the Columbia University encampment,” she said. told MSNBC.
“New York Governor Hochul and other officials have completely failed in their duty to protect Jewish students and combat the rise of anti-Semitism within the party,” the chairman’s office told Fox News Digital following the attack. Chairman Johnson spoke to students at Columbia University. I wish I didn’t need it. ”
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Anti-Israel agitators set up an encampment on the Columbia University campus on Monday, April 22, 2024, in New York City. (Peter Garber)
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His appearance at Columbia University comes as officials on both sides of the aisle denounce demonstrations that forced the university to partially move classes online. Similar protests have taken place at universities across the country, including at Yale University, where a Jewish student claimed he was hit in the eye with a flagpole during an anti-Israel event.
Mr Johnson told activists on Thursday: “University campuses used to be places where respectful debate, differences of opinion and a free marketplace of ideas were debated. That is not what is happening here. No,” he said.
“You are intimidating and shouting down those who disagree with you. You cannot censor or silence views that differ from yours. That is not American. You are They don’t understand what it means to respect the First Amendment.”
