Thune: Antisemitic Harassment and Violence Have No Place in America

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WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today spoke on the Senate floor about the disturbing wave of antisemitic harassment and violence against Jewish students taking place on college campuses across the country. Thune noted that President Biden's lack of leadership is appalling, and he called on the administration to enforce federal law and protect Jewish students.

Thune's remarks below (as prepared for delivery):

"Mr. President, over the past couple of weeks, we've witnessed a wave of antisemitism sweep college campuses across the country.

"Under the guise of 'protest,' an old hatred has made an ugly return.

"And not in some far corner of the world, which would be bad enough, but here, in the United States, in 2024.

"Intimidation of Jewish students. Support for terrorists. Calls for violence against fellow Americans.

"We've seen it all, and more, on college campuses over the past few weeks.

"And too often this repugnant behavior has been abetted by the action - or inaction - of campus faculty and administrators.

"Jewish students simply walking around their campuses have heard things like:

"'Hamas, we love you.'

"'Burn Tel Aviv to the ground.'

"'From the river to the sea.'

"'We are Hamas.'

"Every one of those slogans has been used at protests.

"A CBS article from a few days ago reported, and I quote, 'Near Columbia University, antisemitic slogans including 'go back to Poland' were heard among the protesters' chants. In one video, a demonstrator can be seen holding a sign near Jewish students that reads: 'Al-Qassam's next targets.'' (Al-Qassam, of course, is the military wing of Hamas.)

"Mr. President, 'go back to Poland'? 'Al-Qassam's next targets'?

"Anyone hearing this could be forgiven for thinking we're in 1930s Germany instead of the United States of America, where, I had hoped, antisemitism was a thing of the past.

"But apparently it is a thing of the present.

"And I have to wonder how we as a society have failed our young people when they are incapable of opposing Israel's policies without attacking the Jewish people.

"When they think any means are justified in pursuit of their goal - including the deliberate targeting and slaughter of the innocent.

"How have we gotten to a point where apparently substantial numbers of young people are identifying with terrorists?

"With an organization that mere months ago conducted a deadly rampage that left hundreds of Israeli civilians - including children - dead, and saw more than 200 individuals, including children, taken into captivity.

"How have we gotten to a point where we have Jewish students afraid to walk across their own campuses and in some instances being prevented from entering campus buildings?

"Because that's where we are, Mr. President.

"Jewish students on too many campuses right now are living in fear as intimidation and harassment of Jewish students becomes increasingly commonplace.

"One Jewish student at the University of Washington, which has also seen a protest encampment, had this to say:

"'When that [the protests] starts up, I do feel my heart pounding, and I'm very anxious to be here,' said Olivia Feldman, a senior at UW and co-president of Students Supporting Israel. … 'No, I do not feel safe on campus. I've been called names, I've been spit at' … Feldman is a great-granddaughter of Holocaust survivors. 'It is a very visceral feeling in me when someone tells me to go back to the gas chambers,' Feldman said.'

"Another Jewish student, this one at Columbia University, said in February, 'We have been attacked by sticks outside our library. We have been attacked by angry mobs and we have been threatened to 'Keep f-ing running.''

"Mr. President, this is sickening.

"And the fact that this kind of behavior has become widespread on some of these college campuses should be prompting some serious soul-searching as to how we have let things get to this point - and an immediate reckoning for students engaged in harassment, assault, or other unlawful behavior.

"And in addition to action from universities and local law enforcement, the Biden Department of Education and federal law enforcement should immediately step in to investigate and prosecute federal offenses.

"Protest is one thing - colleges should be forums for debate and discussion, and every American has a right to freedom of speech.

"But we are a long way beyond mere lawful protests.

"We are talking about the harassment of - and assaults on - Jewish students.

"And it is time for immediate action - including law enforcement action where warranted - to protect these students and ensure that they can attend school in safety.

"Mr. President, it's hard to believe that here in the United States I'm having to say something about ensuring Jewish students can attend school in safety.

"And I hope that in addition to swift action from school administrations and from law enforcement, we spend some time thinking about what has gone wrong with education in this country, that we are facing a situation where Jewish students are scared to go to class because of the actions of their fellow students.

"Something has gone seriously wrong when we have students at some of our top schools embracing the actions of - and identifying with - terrorists.

"That should be an unthinkable position.

"And I hope it will become one again.

"Finally, Mr. President, where is President Biden?

"The president has barely managed to summon up a word on this most recent wave of antisemitism.

"I understand that he was preparing for the White House Correspondents' Dinner, but perhaps he could have taken a moment away from practicing his jokes to address the fact that there are Jewish students right now in the United States of America who are afraid to walk across their campuses.

"I'm also still waiting to hear the attorney general and the secretary of education's response to a letter I sent with a number of my Republican colleagues regarding the administration's plans for enforcing federal law in relation to the antisemitism and protests on college campuses.

"'No, I do not feel safe on campus. I've been called names, I've been spit at' … 'It is a very visceral feeling in me when someone tells me to go back to the gas chambers,' Feldman said.'

"Mr. President, it's time to take action to close this disgraceful chapter and ensure that there are no more stories like Olivia Feldman's.

"Mr. President, I yield the floor."

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