House Speaker Kevin Johnson’s visit to Columbia University on Wednesday sparked heckling and protests amidst ongoing student demonstrations over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Johnson’s trip, aimed at supporting Jewish students, coincided with the university’s decision to extend negotiations for 48 hours regarding an encampment symbolizing the campus protests.
Across the country, student protests have been met with force from authorities. In Texas, riot gear-clad state troopers and mounted police dispersed a demonstration at the University of Texas in Austin, leading to 20 arrests. At the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, campus police removed tents.
Meanwhile, protests continued at Brown University, the University of Michigan, MIT, and California State Polytechnic. Students demand university divestment from Israel and pressure on the US government to restrict Israeli strikes. The demonstrations stem from Israel’s response to the October 7 massacre by Hamas, which controls Gaza.
Johnson condemned the protests as chaotic and anti-Semitic, calling for arrests and threats of funding cuts. However, his remarks were met with heckling amidst a backdrop of students calmly going about their daily routines. Johnson’s visit came as his position is threatened by ultraconservative Republicans.
The protests have highlighted the political divide in the country, with conservatives using the demonstrations to portray liberal activists as exaggerating anti-Semitic threats on campus. Johnson met with Jewish students who expressed fear, but encampment protesters maintained their protest’s peacefulness and blamed outsiders for any confrontations.
Free speech advocates PEN America condemned the use of force at the University of Texas protest, emphasizing the need for peaceful protests and campus safety. The White House called for peace, non-discrimination, and free speech on campuses.
