Protests on college campuses across the country over Israel’s response to the brutal Hamas terrorist attacks of Oct. 7 have grown increasingly disruptive and volatile since students at Columbia University set up an encampment on campus on April 17.
The demonstrations at one point could been referred to as pro-Palestinian, but that term is no longer appropriate for the actions that are taking place on these campuses.
According to The Associated Press, hundreds of students have been arrested at universities from Utah to Florida amid clashes between pro-Hamas and pro-Israel groups.
At Columbia in New York, demonstrators stormed and occupied a campus building after being warned to dismantle their encampment or face suspension.
Those at the campus rallies are also shouting slogans such as “Death to America,” according to Fox News.
At the University of Michigan, pamphlets were circulated among students with a page that stated, “Freedom for Palestine means Death to America.”
To all those claiming the “Death to America” pamphlet was faked. No. This pamphlet was distributed at the @UMich encampment on April 22nd.
If you’ve followed these groups for as long as I have, this should not come as a surprise. They have long endorsed violence and terrorism. pic.twitter.com/te753KqTvV
— Josh Brown (@jbis9051) April 24, 2024
Even the American flag has not been exempt from this disgraceful behavior.
Do you stand with Israel?
According to The New York Times, students have replaced the U.S. flag with a Palestinian one on multiple campuses, including the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
While university officials on many of these campuses have been giving their tacit approval by refusing to take the necessary action to quell this shameful behavior, others have decided to step in.
Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado tried to take things into her own hands when she saw a Palestinian flag covering the statue of George Washington during a visit to George Washington University’s campus in D.C. on Wednesday.
Boebert arrived at the GWU campus alongside fellow Republican Reps. James Comer of Kentucky, Byron Donalds of Florida and Anna Paulina Luna of Florida with the stated goal of demanding the university administration dismantle the anti-Israel protesters’ encampment over displays of anti-Semitism, according to Newsweek.
Video footage showed the congresswoman attempting to remove a Palestinian flag that had been draped over a statue of George Washington on campus grounds.
As she did so, a masked woman said, “Excuse me, that’s private property.”
“Yes, it is private property. This is America and that s*** needs to come down,” Boebert said while pointing at the statue.
A man in the crowd stopped her, saying, “That’s not your property. That’s not your property.”
The congresswoman then asked him, “Are you a student here?”
The man replied, “I’m on the faculty here.”
“Then climb up there and get that down,” Boebert said.
“Absolutely not,” he said.
WARNING: The following video contains vulgar language that some viewers may find offensive.
fascist POS @laurenboebert just tried to pull down a palestinian flag at GWU pic.twitter.com/VPiYOKP1Lj
— pranay somayajula 🇵🇸 (@p_somayajula) May 1, 2024
The only flag that should be flying at our universities is the American flag.
End of discussion. https://t.co/Nr0PHUcUxo
— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) May 1, 2024
During the news conference following the incident, Boebert was met with jeers and chants of “Free Palestine” as she attempted to speak.
Undeterred, the congresswoman shouted back, “We bless Israel. We bless Israel. Those who bless Israel shall be blessed. We stand with Israel, our greatest ally in the Middle East. That is who we stand for and who we are defending.”
“And these folks who are shouting ‘Free Palestine,’ well let’s see. … I’ve seen signs here today that say ‘Queer and Trans Folks for Liberated Palestine,’ ‘Gays for Gaza,’ ‘From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will Be Free,’ ‘Lesbians for Palestine,’ ‘Chinese for Palestine,’ followed by ‘All Cops Are Bastards,’” she said, pointing out the irony of these groups, in particular, supporting a radical Islamist terrorist organization.
Grabbing a megaphone to speak over the noise of singing and chanting, Boebert continued, “Not only is this disgusting but let me be very clear. Almost every single person in this so-called liberated zone would be eviscerated by the very terrorists you are standing here supporting.”
“This is not the summer of love, and we are not bowing a knee to the terrorists who cause the riots and chaos in our cities any more,” she said.
“And if the faculty here, who many are involved in this right now — I had people proudly saying that they are faculty and not wanting to remove a Palestinian sign from the George Washington statue — if they don’t want to do something to address this, well then kiss your federal funding goodbye,” the congresswoman said.
It is almost unbelievable that elected officials have to call out university leadership for allowing or encouraging demonstrations calling for the deaths of Jews and America.
The longer these petulant, entitled brats are allowed to chest thump and bare their teeth, the longer students who really want to study will be forced to endure threats, intimidation and perhaps worse.
They should be expelled from the campus by force.
Boebert is right.
If universities want to coddle these Hamas doppelgangers, they can do that.
But not on our tax dollars.
