Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and Police Chief Pamela Smith will testify before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday to provide an update on the ongoing anti-Israel protests and the encampment on the campus of George Washington University (GWU). The mayor’s office confirmed to Fox News Digital on Tuesday that both Bowser and Smith will appear at the hearing, which was called after Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, criticized D.C. leadership for failing to respond adequately to GWU’s request for assistance in dealing with the increasingly combative protests.
Anti-Israel agitators at GWU are urging administrators not to contact the police to remove their encampment, which has been in place for 13 days. The protesters have erected tents and flown Palestinian flags at their encampment. They have also vandalized a statue of George Washington with Palestinian iconography, including “Free Palestine” stickers.
Demonstrators on campus have called for the “guillotine” for school administrators, a video posted on social media recently showed. “Guillotine, Guillotine, Guillotine, Guillotine,” a person with a bullhorn could be heard chanting, joined by other demonstrators.
Comer stated that the House Oversight Committee will hold a hearing to “seek answers from local leaders on steps being taken to ensure this unlawful activity ends.” The Hearing on “Oversight of D.C.’s Response to Unlawful Activity and Antisemitism” is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. EST in the 2154 Rayburn House Office Building. GWU’s U-Yard has been the site of the protests, which have seen protesters erecting tents and displaying Palestinian flags at their encampment. The statue of George Washington, the university’s namesake, has been defaced with Palestinian iconography, including “Free Palestine” stickers. The protests have taken a sinister turn, with demonstrators calling for the “guillotine” for school administrators, as evidenced by a video posted on social media. “Guillotine, Guillotine, Guillotine, Guillotine,” a person with a bullhorn could be heard chanting, joined by other demonstrators. Comer emphasized the need for the House Oversight Committee to hold a hearing to “seek answers from local leaders on steps being taken to ensure this unlawful activity ends.” The Hearing on “Oversight of D.C.’s Response to Unlawful Activity and Antisemitism” is set to convene at 1 p.m. EST in the 2154 Rayburn House Office Building. Fox News Digital’s Lawrence Richard contributed to this report.
