Wednesday morning’s House Judiciary hearing on free speech on college campuses began with about five minutes of disruptive protests in support of Palestinians amid Israel’s war on Hamas.
Holding signs, shouting, and raising red-painted hands with “Gaza” written on their palms, part of ongoing protests against Israel’s invasion of Gaza City and against the United States support for the military operation.
According to Capitol Police, approximately 10 of the protesters were arrested for crowding or obstructing a public building. Police said one of the demonstrators was also charged with assault on a police officer.
Protesters have focused their efforts on creating pressure for a cease-fire in the conflict. The Biden administration has instead called for “humanitarian pauses,” which are more limited and temporary in scope, to allow for more aid into Gaza, more time to release Hamas hostages and passage for more civilians out of embattled areas.
After opening statements in the hearing, the protesters began shouting as soon as the first witness, Connor Ogrydziak, a recent graduate of the University of Buffalo and the former chair of a conservative students’ group there, began to speak.
The protestors shouted phrases including “Free Palestine,” “Free Gaza,” and “End the siege and the occupation now.”
Ogrydziak was interrupted multiple times by the protesters before he was able to give his opening statement, with one of the protestors asking, “How does speaking up against genocide become antisemitism?”
Protesters continued intermittently interrupting, and being escorted out of the room, throughout the hearing.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), the only Palestinian American member of Congress, was censured Tuesday night for her for comments critical of Israel that have drawn condemnation from both sides of the aisle. She has regularly spoken at pro-Palestine protests.
The purpose of Wednesday’s hearing was to examine free speech violations on college campuses, with GOP committee members arguing that conservative students are facing a “continuous uphill battle” — a view that Ogrydziak shared.
“Hostility towards conservative points of view has grown worse,” said committee chair Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).
College campuses have been roiled by debates over the Israel-Hamas war, with growing reports of antisemitic incidents and growing calls from Republicans to restrict anti-Israel rhetoric or even remove foreign students or staff supportive of Hamas.
Americans are largely split on their feelings toward the Israel-Hamas war, and their feelings toward the United States’s role in it.
An Associated Press-NORC Center survey found that 43 percent of respondents believe the U.S. is providing Israel with the right amount of support. But respondents were split along party lines, with Democrats more likely to say the U.S. is providing Israel with too much support and not providing enough support for Palestinian civilians in Gaza, while Republicans said the opposite. Most respondents also said that funding for humanitarian relief is more important than funding Israel’s military.
On Saturday, tens of thousands of protesters marched across Washington, D.C., in support of Palestine and demanding an end to U.S. support for Israel.
One protester to be escorted out by Capitol police Wednesday shouted, “Palestinian students deserve to speak up about the genocide of their families,” as Ogrydziak prepared to start his opening statement.
Updated at 12:20 p.m. ET