Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Mike Johnson (R-LA) attends a quality league astatine Columbia University successful effect to demonstrators protesting successful enactment of Palestinians, amid the ongoing struggle betwixt Israel and the Palestinian Islamist radical Hamas, successful New York City, U.S., April 24, 2024.
David Dee Delgado | Reuters
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., struggled to get a connection successful edgewise Wednesday, battling a chorus of booing crowds during a code astatine Columbia University wherever helium condemned the ongoing pupil protests against Israel's bombardment of Gaza.
"Enjoy your escaped speech," Johnson said tersely, pausing his prepared remarks to hold for the jeering to dice down.
Columbia's field has been frozen by contention since pupil protesters acceptable up a structure encampment April 17 to protestation the warfare successful Gaza.
The demonstrations garnered nationalist attraction amid reports of antisemitic code targeting Jewish students, and aft Columbia President Nemat "Minouche" Shafik authorized the New York Police Department to expanse the structure encampment Thursday.
Columbia Students for Justice successful Palestine, a radical that helped signifier the protests, has said that immoderate hatred code is not coming from its protesters but alternatively "inflammatory individuals who bash not correspond us."
During Johnson's code Wednesday, helium called connected Shafik to resign if she could not get a grip connected the protests.
Johnson added that helium plans to impulse President Joe Biden to instrumentality enforcement enactment against the protests if necessary: "If this is not contained quickly, and if these threats and intimidation are not stopped, determination is an due clip for the National Guard."
Biden has truthful acold condemned some the reported antisemitism and "those who don't recognize what's going connected with the Palestinians," arsenic helium enactment it to reporters Monday.
Johnson's code Wednesday came hours aft Biden officially signed into instrumentality a long-awaited overseas assistance measure for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan that had been efficaciously shelved successful the House for weeks owed to governmental gridlock.
The measurement was revived successful ample portion owed to Johnson's determination to enactment the projected overseas assistance to a ballot connected the House level Saturday, contempt ouster threats from hardline members of his enactment specified arsenic Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. The overseas assistance measure passed the House connected Saturday and received authoritative Senate support precocious Tuesday night.
After much than a week of bipartisan practice with Democrats to walk the assistance bill, Johnson's Columbia code appeared to beryllium an effort to bolster his blimpish bona fides for his hardline GOP colleagues.
The talker was joined by Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., who chairs the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, and Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y.
"My connection to the students wrong the encampment is: Go backmost to class," Johnson said. "Stop wasting your parents' money."
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