Mike Johnson Pledges Congressional 'Crackdown' on Antisemitism in College

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson is pledging a congressional "crackdown" on antisemitism at U.S. colleges as students continue to hold pro-Palestinian demonstrations throughout the country.

Over 1,000 people have been arrested over the past 11 days as pro-Palestinian protests and encampments mirroring the display at New York City's Columbia University have recently appeared at dozens of other campuses, along with demands for the schools to divest from Israel.

The protests have been accompanied by repeated reports of antisemitism, prompting outrage and promises to protect Jewish students from lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle. During a visit to Columbia last week, Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, threatened to disperse the protests using the National Guard.

Johnson is expected to hold a press conference on Tuesday morning outlining his plan to combat the antisemitism that he and others say is brewing at the protests, according to a release shared on Monday night by Punchbowl News co-founder John Bresnahan to X, formerly Twitter.

House Republicans, led by Johnson, intend to announce a series of investigations into "the virus of antisemitism" conducted by multiple House committees, promising that university administrators who fail to "keep their students safe" will face the wrath of Congress.

"On Tuesday, April 30, Speaker Johnson will lead a press conference announcing a House-wide crackdown on the virus of antisemitism spreading throughout college campuses," the release states.

"House Republicans, with leadership from committees of jurisdiction, will expand a wide-ranging investigation focused on holding accountable college and university administrators who fail at their core responsibility: keeping their students safe," it continues.

Newsweek reached out for comment to Johnson's office via email on Monday night.

Earlier on Monday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries urged Johnson to allow a vote on the bipartisan Countering Antisemitism Act, a bill that would establish a White House coordinator for combatting antisemitism, require federal agencies to conduct threat assessments for antisemitic extremism and declare May to be "Jewish American Heritage Month."

"The effort to crush antisemitism and hatred in any form is not a Democratic or Republican issue," Jeffries wrote in a letter to Johnson. "It's an American issue that must be addressed in a bipartisan manner with the fierce urgency of now. In this spirit, I strongly urge you to schedule a vote on the bipartisan Countering Antisemitism Act forthwith."

Johnson was greeted with chants of "we can't hear you," "free Palestine" and "get the f*** off our campus" during his visit to the Columbia Ivy League campus on Wednesday. He proceeded to demand that university President Nemat "Minouche" Shafik resign her post, while urging the protesting students to "go back to class" during a campus press conference.

"What continues to transpire at Columbia is an utter disgrace," Johnson wrote in an X post on Monday. "The campus is being overrun by antisemitic students and faculty alike. There must be consequences. President Shafik must resign."

Pro-Palestinian student protesters, some of whom are Jewish, have largely claimed that the reported antisemitic incidents are being instigated by outside groups unaffiliated with universities and not composed of students.

Protesters deny that their demonstrations are motivated by antisemitism, arguing that they are instead opposed to Israel's military occupation of Gaza and response to the surprise October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that governs part of Gaza.

The initial Hamas attack left 1,200 people dead in Israel and resulted in hundreds of others being taken hostage. Over 34,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza since the war began, according to a report from the Associated Press that cites local health officials.