Mike Johnson Booed by Columbia Pro-Palestinian Protesters

U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson was greeted with boos during a visit to the New York City campus of Columbia University as a controversial pro-Palestinian protest continued on Wednesday.

Over 100 Columbia students taking part in the week-long protest have been arrested by riot police and suspended by the university, while repeated reports of antisemitic incidents have sparked condemnation from school officials, lawmakers and student protesters who say outside groups are responsible.

Shortly after meeting with a group of Jewish students on Wednesday afternoon, Johnson held a press conference on the campus that was immediately and repeatedly interrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters.

Johnson was drowned out by protesters who booed and shouted "we can't hear you," "free Palestine" and "get the f*** off our campus" as the Republican attempted to speak in support of Israel and the Jewish students.

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

The Context

While pro-Palestinian protests have occurred at U.S. colleges since Israel launched its ongoing assault on Gaza following the surprise October 7 attack by Hamas, the protests have expanded to the point of shutting down some campuses over the past week.

Columbia students established a "Gaza Solidarity Encampment" on April 17, with police raiding the encampment and making mass arrests on the following day. The university later canceled in-person classes.

The protest continued to grow despite the arrests, with a large number of Columbia faculty members staging their own demonstration in support of the student demonstrators on Monday.

Protesters are demanding that the university divest from Israel-affiliated companies that they say "profit from Israeli apartheid, genocide, and occupation in Palestine."

While 1,200 people were killed in the initial Hamas attack, over 34,000 Palestinians have since been killed during the Israeli assault on Gaza, according to the Associated Press.

Amid the chaos, Columbia University President Nemat "Minouche" Shafik has been under increasing pressure to resign from both protesters and those who argue that the protests are brewing antisemitism.

What We Know

During his Columbia press conference on Wednesday, Johnson said that he was "calling on President Shafik to resign if she cannot immediately bring order to this chaos," while also asserting that "Congress will not be silent as Jewish students are expected to run for their lives and stay home from their classes hiding in fear."

However, the pro-Palestinian protesters in the crowd pushed back on Johnson's rhetoric, laughing at the Louisiana Republican and booing him at multiple points during his speech. Johnson responded to the protesters with comments like "enjoy your free speech" and "go back to class."

Johnson was joined by a group of fellow Republican House members who also spoke at the press conference, with some directly confronting the pro-Palestinian protesters.

New York Congressman Mike Lawler told the crowd that he "wants Palestinians to be free too, from their oppressor Hamas," before saying, "Every single one of you students that supports Hamas are an absolute abomination."

Views

Shortly after the press conference concluded, Johnson shared a C-SPAN video clip of the event to his account of X, formerly Twitter. The clip included clearly audible boos and heckles as Johnson spoke.

Johnson wrote the following while sharing the clip: "Administrators at Columbia have proven themselves to be incapable of achieving their basic responsibly—keeping students safe. I join my colleagues in calling on President Shafik to resign. Congress will not be silent as Jewish students are targeted on campus."

Calls for Shafik to resign have also come from those who support the pro-Palestinian protesters. During the faculty demonstration on Monday, Columbia history professor Christopher L. Brown condemned Shafik for calling police on the protesters while urging her to resign.

"The president's decision to send riot police to pick up peaceful protesters on our campus was unprecedented, unjustified, disproportionate, divisive and dangerous," Brown said. "I have no confidence in the president's leadership... She has forfeited the privilege of leading this great university."

What's Next

There is no sign of pro-Palestinian protests on U.S. university campuses dying down anytime soon. Instead, the protests continue to expand across the country, with tensions being further exacerbated following police intervention on several campuses.

Johnson demanded in his speech on Wednesday that President Joe Biden take action against the protesters over supposed threats to Jewish students, while warning that it would be "an appropriate time for the National Guard" to "bring order" to campuses if the "threats are not stopped."

Update 04/24/24 6:16 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.