Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) is urging President Joe Biden to mobilize the National Guard to protect Jewish students.
In a letter to the president, Hawley said, “On college campuses across the United States, Jewish Americans are at risk. Most alarmingly, in-person classes at Columbia University have been cancelled — in response to a dayslong, illegal pro-Hamas demonstration.”
“You must immediately mobilize the National Guard and any other authorities necessary to ensure the safety of Jewish American students and citizens,” he insisted.
He noted:
“In your statement on Passover, you stated that ‘in recent days, we’ve seen harassment and calls for violence against Jews. This blatant Antisemitism is reprehensible and dangerous – and it has absolutely no place on college campuses, or anywhere in our country.”
Check out the full letter below:
Senator Josh Hawley sent a letter to President Biden calling on him to mobilize the National Guard to protect Jewish American students amidst pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses. ⁰ Here’s the letter. https://t.co/eIuV3Vq1JY pic.twitter.com/WMcYiLdgby
— Tiffany Alaniz (@TiffanyAlaniz) April 23, 2024
The letter comes as pro-Palestinian protests haves erupted around elite college universities.
The Associated Press notes, “Columbia canceled in-person classes, dozens of protesters were arrested at New York University and Yale, and the gates to Harvard Yard were closed to the public Monday as some of the most prestigious U.S. universities sought to defuse campus tensions over Israel’s war with Hamas.”
“More than 100 pro-Palestinian demonstrators who had camped out on Columbia’s green were arrested last week, and similar encampments have sprouted up at universities around the country as schools struggle with where to draw the line between allowing free expression while maintaining safe and inclusive campuses,” it added.
Biden told reporters on Monday he condemns antisemitic protests, but added, “I also condemn those who don’t understand what’s going on with the Palestinians.”
