House Republican leaders are vowing to counter anti-Israel protests that are once again taking over college campuses as students return for the fall semester.
This comes as activists have already begun desecrating property and organizing demonstrations at Columbia University in New York City, which was a hotbed of controversial activity in the spring.
“There should be a zero-tolerance policy for anti-Semitic violence on campus targeting Jewish students. If universities won't hold protesters accountable, Congress will,” Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., told Fox News Digital. “Last month, we subpoenaed several Columbia University officials and we will continue our investigations and take action on the floor when students return to campus.”
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House Republican leaders Steve Scalise, Mike Johnson and Elise Stefanik are speaking out against the anti-Israel protests in Columbia. (Getty Images)
Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., similarly said: “Columbia University has repeatedly enabled the presence of radical pro-Hamas mobs, putting Jewish members of its community at risk and allowing anti-Semitic hatred to take root in a once-acclaimed institution. House Republicans will use every tool at our disposal to demand immediate action from Columbia University on behalf of Jewish students who want to continue their education without fear.”
House Majority Leader Tom Emmer, R-Minn., told Fox News Digital: “It's no surprise that the pro-terror mob has returned to Columbia — Democrats have enabled and empowered anti-Semites in their party.”
Emmer said House Republicans will “continue to send a strong message” of support for Israel and Jewish students in the United States.
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People are seen falling to the ground during a clash at Columbia University during anti-Israel protests on Thursday, September 3. (Fox News)
Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., urged the White House to also speak out against the protests.
“It's the first day of classes at Columbia University and the anti-Semitic, pro-terrorist mob is already back,” Johnson wrote in X. “The Biden-Harris administration should condemn this mob immediately.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for a response.
At least one protester was arrested during Tuesday's demonstrations in Manhattan, video footage shows. Activists are also seen pushing barricades and a second person is detained outside Columbia's sister school, Barnard College.
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Anti-Israel protests continued Tuesday on the campus of Columbia University in New York City. (AP/Yuki Iwamura)
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Republicans have seized on Israel as a unifying issue for their own party as the left continues to fracture over U.S. relations with its close Middle Eastern ally.
Moderate Democrats, however, have pointed to the primary defeats of anti-Israel progressives as proof that the left is capable of getting its own anti-Semitism problem under control.
