Republican lawmakers, led by House Speaker Mike Johnson, faced loud heckling and interruptions during a press conference at Columbia University on Wednesday. The lawmakers gathered to denounce antisemitism and the ongoing pro-Palestine demonstrations taking place on campus.
Johnson, along with GOP Reps. Virginia Foxx, Mike Lawler, Anthony D’Esposito, and Nicole Malliotakis, traveled to the Manhattan campus, where pro-Palestine protesters have set up an encampment and are demanding that the school divest from Israel and companies associated with its war effort against Hamas.
As the lawmakers took to the podium for their press conference, they were immediately met with shouts of “boo” and were frequently drowned out by protesters. Johnson accused the protesters of “placing a target on the backs of Jewish students in the United States” and of “chanting in support of terrorists.” He also said that the protesters had “chased down Jewish students, mocked them, reviled them, shouted racial epithets, and screamed at those who bear the Star of David.”
As Johnson spoke, chants of “we can’t hear you” broke out in the crowd. “Enjoy your free speech,” Johnson responded.
At another point, D’Esposito told students that “if you are a protester on this campus, and you are proud that you’ve been endorsed by Hamas, you are part of the problem,” while Lawler said that “the fastest way for a ceasefire to occur is for Hamas to surrender and to release the hostages. And if you can’t call for that. You are a pathetic embarrassment to this institution and to students everywhere.”
Both remarks were met with shouts from the crowd. When the Speaker said “anti-Israel encampments are popping up at universities all across this country,” the crowd also let out a loud cacophony of shouts and boos.
At one point, shouts of “Mike you suck” and “get the f*** out of here” were heard as Johnson spoke.
Johnson was the latest House lawmaker to travel to Columbia’s campus this week as both protests against Israel’s war in Gaza and accusations of antisemitism grow. Earlier this week, the university announced that it would shift to hybrid learning for the remainder of the semester as the protests continued.
The switch came after an Orthodox rabbi at Columbia University and Barnard College told Jewish students to “return home as soon as possible and remain home until the reality in and around campus has dramatically improved,” according to a WhatsApp message posted on X by CNN’s Jake Tapper.
Johnson on Wednesday joined his New York GOP colleagues in calling on Columbia University President Nemat Shafik to resign from her post, a request that was met with loud boos from the crowd.
“I am here today joining my colleagues in calling on President Shafik to resign if she cannot immediately bring order to this chaos,” he said. “As Speaker of the House I am committing today that the Congress will not be silent as Jewish students are expected to run for their lives and stay home from their classes hiding in fear.”
