Rep. Ilhan Omar dismisses harassment of Jewish UCLA student by anti-Israel protesters
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) on Thursday downplayed the harassment of a Jewish student by anti-Israel protesters on the campus of UCLA and castigated the university for not doing more to protect the agitators.
The “Squad” congresswoman shrugged off a viral video of the April incident, in which several masked protesters are seen physically blocking the student, who is wearing a Star of David necklace, as he tries to walk to his class on the UCLA campus.
“Just for clarification, that video we just watched, we saw people moving around,” Omar said after the video was played during a House Education and Workforce Committee hearing on antisemitic encampments on college campuses.
UCLA Chancellor Gene Block, one of three university leaders testifying at the hearing, was the target of Omar’s odd line of questioning that followed.
“Was it possible, do you think, for that student to be able to get into campus? Was that student actually being blocked from entering campus?” the Minnesota Democrat asked Block.
“Well, that was in the middle of campus,” Block responded. “They’re not being blocked from being on campus, maybe being blocked from a pathway on campus.”
“He should be allowed to pass,” the chancellor asserted. “I mean, any part of campus is open to students, so blocking him was really inappropriate.”
The so-called Palestine Solidarity Encampment at UCLA was the site of a violent clash between the anti-Israel protesters and counterprotesters on April 30, which saw pepper spray, firecrackers and fists deployed by a group of individuals fed up with the disruptive, weeklong demonstration.
Omar went on to argue during the hearing that UCLA administrators should have done more to protect the encampment.
“You could have prevented this by protecting the diverse groups of pro-Palestinian students that were peacefully gathered on campus to share meals set in solidarity against the brutal genocide,” Omar told Block. “You could have prevented this by protecting these students’ First Amendment right to assemble.”
“How did you fail the students at many critical points where you could have intervened?” the congresswoman asked the UCLA chancellor.
“Thank you for the question, but I’m sorry, I reject the premise,” Block responded, before being interrupted by Omar.
“Can I finish my statement?” he asked.
“No,” Omar shot back. “Are any of these [counterprotesters] in jail?”
Block explained that authorities were summoned “as quickly as possible” and that police were still in the process of identifying the people involved in the skirmish.
The encampment was declared an unlawful assembly soon after the melee and police arrested more than 200 anti-Israel demonstrators.
“This encampment was against policy, this violated time, place, and manner,” Block noted.
