Caitlyn Jenner called for authorities to "deport" pro-Palestinian protesters as demonstrations continue at colleges and universities across the United States, her spokesperson calling them "uninformed morons" in a statement to Newsweek.
Higher education institutions have found themselves embroiled in the domestic debate over the war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Students have led protests against Israel's response to the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, raising concerns about the number of Palestinian civilians killed in the conflict.
About 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage during Hamas' October 7 attack. More than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict, the Associated Press reported, citing local health officials, while more than 80 percent of Gaza's 2.3 million people have been displaced.
The protests have sparked criticism from some Jewish leaders, who say they make Jewish and Israeli citizens feel at risk as critics say some of these protests have veered into antisemitism.
Jenner, a former reality television star who formerly ran as a Republican in California's 2021 gubernatorial recall race, criticized these protesters Tuesday in a post to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
She reposted a video appearing to show protesters at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt holding a rainbow umbrella—a common LGBTQ pride symbol—though whether the flag was used for this meaning in this circumstance is unclear.
"Deport these morons and send them to Iran or Gaza. Have fun being burnt alive, beheaded, or pushed off a building. It is illegal, and punishable by death in the most egregious ways, to be LGBT in these hell hole regions, governed with terrorist regimes!" Jenner posted.
Supporters of Israel have criticized pro-Palestinian protesters, many of whom have more liberal beliefs, for opposing Israel's offensive due to the lack of LGBTQ+ rights in Gaza. According to the Human Dignity Trust, same-sex activity is banned in Gaza and can be punished by up to 10 years in prison
Protesters, however, have said these arguments are largely a deflection from their critiques of Israel. They have argued that the Palestinian Authority's stance on LGBTQ+ rights does not negate the humanitarian concerns about the civilian death toll of Israel's offensive.
Jenner's spokesperson Sophia Hutchins told Newsweek in a statement Wednesday, "Any person waving a LGBT flag, or identifying as 'Queers for Palestine' are, like many of these rioters, grossly uninformed morons, and blindly unaware of the actual treatment of LGBT people in the region."
"The brutality towards LGBT people in the regions governed under the Palestinian Authority, Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran (the IRGC or any of its many proxies), and of course the nation of Iraq which just days ago made a major policy change in the brutal criminalization of homosexuality, is a disgrace and another major international policy failure of the Biden Administration," she wrote.
She added that she believes "the international decriminalization of homosexuality was a key achievement" of the Trump administration.
Jenner has expressed support for Israel amid the conflict. In April, Jenner was recorded confronting pro-Palestinian protesters outside the White House Correspondents' Dinner. Following the confrontation, she posted to X, "THE ONLY THING WE SHOULD BE PROTESTING IS HAMAS! BRING THE HOSTAGES HOME."
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Andrew Stanton is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in Maine. His role is reporting on U.S. politics and social issues. ... Read more
