House Speaker Mike Johnson Heckled & Booed During Speech On Antisemitism At Columbia University

House Speaker Mike Johnson gave a speech about the antisemitism present at Columbia University, which was met with boos and heckling from pro-Palestinian protesters in the crowd.

Johnson delivered a stern message on the university’s campus for school administrators and protesters after days of anti-war demonstrations, arrests and campus closures at colleges across the United States.

A spokesperson from Johnson’s office stated that Johnson wanted to speak to Columbia students because he believed that New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) had not done enough to keep them safe.

“Today, I’m here to proclaim, for all those who gnash their teeth and demand to wipe the state of Israel off the map and attack our innocent Jewish students, this simple truth: neither Israel nor these Jewish students on this campus – this campus will stand alone,” the House speaker declared during his speech.

“Today, Hamas issued an endorsement of the protesters on this campus,” Johnson recounted. “They called them the future leaders of America.”

“It is detestable,” he claimed. “This has to be said because the cherished traditions of this university are being overtaken by radical and extreme ideologies that is a target on the backs of Jewish students in the U.S. and on this campus.”

“A growing number of students have chanted in support of terrorists, chased down Jewish students, mocked and reviled them, shouted racial epithets, screamed at those students bearing the Star of David,” Johnson stated. “Enjoy your free speech. They have told Jewish students to leave the country, and shamefully, some professors and faculty have joined the mob.”

“Things have gotten so out of control that the school has canceled in-person classes and have come up with this hybrid model where they will discriminate against Jewish students,” the House speaker mentioned. “They are not allowed to come to class anymore for fear of their lives.”

“It is detestable,” he argued. “The virus of antisemitism has spread across other campuses. As many as 200 universities have a similar form of protest now.”

“At Yale, a Jewish student was stabbed in the eye with a Palestinian flag,” he then recalled. “Forty-five students were arrested. At NYU, protesters shouted, ‘From the river to the sea.’ Anti-Israel encampments are popping up at universities across this country. The madness has to stop. The madness has to stop.”

In addition to his lecture receiving boos from nearby protesters, some chanted, “We can’t hear you!”

The students at Columbia University have pledged to keep protesting in an encampment they had set up last week until the university agrees to a complete divestment from Israel. 

Protesters have demanded divestment from a student exchange program and the university’s campus in Tel Aviv.

The frequent protests led to the arrest and suspension of over 100 students from Columbia University and Barnard College last week − including Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-Minnesota) daughter, Isra Hirsi.

Columbia University’s leaders said they were open to negotiating with the protesters. Still, students from a group known as Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine confirmed that they were uninterested.

“Late tonight, Columbia University threatened CUAD negotiators to call both the National Guard and NYPD if we do not acquiesce to their demands,” a statement posted on X read. “We remain steadfast in our convictions and will not be intimidated by the University’s disturbing threat of an escalation of violence.”

In a campus update on April 23, Minouche Shafik, the university’s president, stated that the university is working to identify and discipline protesters who have violated its policies against discrimination and harassment.

“We are working to identify protestors who violated our policies against discrimination and harassment, and they will be put through appropriate disciplinary processes,” Shafik promised. “The right to protest is essential and protected at Columbia, but harassment and discrimination are antithetical to our values and an affront to our commitment to be a community of mutual respect and kindness.”

The protests have fueled an ongoing national debate regarding Jewish students’ safety after a documented growth of antisemitism on college campuses after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, and Israel’s military response.