Mike Johnson to Columbia Protesters Interrupting His Remarks: ‘Enjoy Your Free Speech’

Johnson: “Hamas issued an endorsement statement of the protesters on this campus. They called them the future leaders of America. It is detestable. All of this has to be said, because the cherished traditions of this university are being overtaken right now by radical and extreme ideologies. They place a target on the backs of Jewish students in the United States. And here on this campus, a growing number of students have chanted in support of terrorists. They have chased down Jewish students. They have mocked them and reviled them. They have shouted racial epithets. They have screamed at those who bear the Star of David.”

CROWD: “We can’t hear you! We can’t hear you! We can’t hear you!”

Johnson: “Enjoy your free speech. They’ve told Jewish students who wear the Star of David to leave the country. And shamefully, some professors and faculty have joined the mobs. Things have gotten so out of control that the schools canceled in-person classes, and now they’ve come up with this hybrid model where they will discriminate against Jewish students. They are not allowed to come to class anymore for fear of their lives. And it’s detestable. As Columbia has allowed these lawless agitators and radicals to take over, the virus of anti-Semitism has spread across other campuses. By some counts, as many as 200 universities have a similar form of protest right now. At Yale, a Jewish student was stabbed in the eye with a Palestinian flag and 45 students were arrested. At NYU, Pro-Hamas protestors were shouting ‘from the river to the sea.’ Anti-Israel encampments are popping up at universities all across this country.

[Crowd booing]

The Madness has to stop. The Madness has to stop. We just left a meeting with Jewish students who told us of the heinous acts of bigotry that they have experienced simply because of their faith. Their bravery is inspiring, much more inspiring than some of the activities we’re seeing here. And they should never have to confront such hate on an American college campus, at such a revered institution.”