Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) on Thursday downplayed an incident in which anti-Israel protesters harassed Jewish students on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and criticized the university for not doing enough to protect the protesters.
The female members of the Squad Viral Video In one incident in April, a student wearing a Star of David necklace was walking to class on the UCLA campus when several masked protesters physically blocked him.
“Just to be clear, the video that we just saw showed people moving around,” Omar said after the video was shown at a House Education and Labor Committee hearing on anti-Semitic camps on college campuses.
UCLA President Gene Block, one of three university officials who testified at the hearing, was the target of Omar’s bizarre questioning afterward.
“Do you believe that that student would have been able to get on campus? Would that student have actually been prevented from getting on campus?” the Minnesota Democrat asked Bullock.
“Well, it was in the middle of campus,” Block replied. “They may not be being prevented from entering campus, but may just be being prevented from accessing campus.”
“He should be allowed to pass,” the president argued. “Every part of the campus is open to students, so it would be really inappropriate to ban him.”
Violent clashes broke out between anti-Israel and counter-protesters at UCLA’s so-called Palestine Solidarity Camp on April 30, with some members of the crowd fed up with a week of chaotic protests using pepper spray, firecrackers and even their fists.
Omar argued at the hearing that UCLA administrators should have done more to protect the camp site.
“Protecting the diverse group of pro-Palestinian students who peacefully gathered on campus to share a meal in solidarity against a brutal genocide could have prevented this from happening,” Omar told Block. “Protecting these students’ First Amendment right to assemble could have prevented this from happening.”
“Why did you fail students at so many critical points where you could have intervened?” the senators asked the UCLA president.
“Thank you for the question, but I’m sorry, I don’t accept that premise,” Block said, before being cut off by Omar.
“May I complete my statement?” he asked.
“No,” Omar retorted. “These [counterprotesters] Are you in prison?
Bullock explained that authorities were called “as quickly as possible” and that police were still in the process of identifying those involved in the skirmish.
Shortly after the brawl, the encampment was declared an unlawful assembly and police arrested more than 200 anti-Israel protesters.
“This camp is against policy and violates time, place and manner,” Bullock said.
