In a House Republicans press conference held Tuesday morning, Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) said if university presidents do not denounce antisemitism or take serious action to improve campus climate, “They should be fired immediately.”
This is one of many strong statements made regarding antisemitism on college campuses during her latest press conference, with some opponents saying these federal actions have ulterior motives.
While McClain doesn’t think the resignation of presidents should be necessary, she said “it’s a shame that [politicians] have to legislate safety.”
Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong will represent the university at a Congressional hearing on antisemitism Wednesday morning, organized by the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce. The hearing will feature the presidents of Haverford College and DePaul University and will be livestreamed on the Committee’s YouTube channel at 7:15 a.m. PT.
The Committee argued that three on-campus incidents are of particular concern, Mustang News previously reported.
Lawmakers spoke at the press conference including Rep. McClain, Committee Chairman Tim Walberg (R-Mich.), Higher Education Subcommittee Chairman Burgess Owens (R-Ohio) and Rep. Randy Fine (R-Fla.).
In describing antisemitism at Cal Poly, Walberg mentioned “the violence going on there, the statements saying we are going to stop this, then more or less keep on doing it with a hand signal.” He also said “students are being blocked out of classes,” and “violent attacks” occurred on campus.
A May 2024 demonstration and pro-Palestinian graffiti from Oct. 2024 were public incidents deemed antisemitic, according to a Committee spokesperson.
Walberg directly addresses a May 23, 2024 demonstration, in which pro-Palestinian protestors linked themselves together to block the California Blvd. entrance to campus. About 20 police vehicles arrived at the scene for the 30 protestors originally there, eight of whom were later arrested.
Walberg said he’ll be meeting with the university presidents privately on Tuesday.
Most of the speakers wore a yellow ribbon pin, a gesture supporting the release of the remaining hostages held captive in Gaza from the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack. Next to the speaker podium, there was a sign with “Antisemitism HAS NO HOME on our campuses,” with the phrases “From the river to the sea” and “Intifada” shown in the background.
A notable addition was Michael Kaminsky, a Jewish student at DePaul University, who described an alleged antisemitic attack, resulting in serious wrist injuries. Kaminsky’s friend, fellow student and Israeli Defense Forces reservist Max Long, hosted an “ask me anything” session on campus, when two ski-masked individuals attacked them, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Opposition to federal intervention
On April 22, Senator Adam Schiff said Republicans are using antisemitism as a political weapon “to interfere with academic freedom” and defund universities at a joint town hall in San Luis Obispo with Rep. Salud Carbajal, Mustang News previously reported. Schiff acknowledged that antisemitism is a serious issue and has previously co-sponsored the Antisemitism Awareness Act.
On Monday, the Abolitionist Action of the Central Coast/San Luis Obispo (AACCS) posted an Instagram statement addressing the upcoming hearing. The AACCS statement said this hearing is meant to showcase the university’s inability to “repress the movement for Palestinian liberation.” It also said that Armstrong, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and U.S. Congress will not stop them from advancing the right to a Palestinian state.
Updates on Israel’s war in Gaza
On Monday, Israel’s Cabinet voted to seize the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territory under international law, the Associated Press reported.
Last week, the United Nations and Palestinian representatives accused Israel of blocking humanitarian aid to Gaza in international court hearings, Reuters reported. Palestinian representatives say Israel is starving millions of civilians in the Gaza Strip.
Israel stopped the transportation of aid on March 2, leading to a “catastrophic situation,” The New York Times reported. Israeli representatives say the Palestinian militant group Hamas needs to release remaining hostages and that Hamas has overtaken the agency transporting aid. Israel alleges that 19 of the agency’s 13,000-person staff were involved in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, the Associated Press reported.
To protest the blockade, 25 Cal State students started a hunger strike on Monday, spanning San Francisco State, Cal State Long Beach, San Jose State and Sacramento State. These students are involved in their campus chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine, according to the joint Instagram post.
Mustang News reached out to Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.) and Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.) but did not receive comment before publication.
When asked about the alleged antisemitism mentioned in the press conference, university spokesperson Matt Lazier had no additional comment on this matter.
A previous version of the article said the Israeli Cabinet vote occurred on Tuesday. AOn May 14, a correction was made to change this error.
