Submitted by United States Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana
WASHINGTON (May 2, 2024) – Senator John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today joined Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and all other Republican members of the committee in urging Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) to hold a hearing regarding civil rights violations of Jewish students and the growing support for terrorist ideology on college campuses.
“The right to protest peacefully and the right to freely express one’s views—no matter how controversial—are enshrined in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. These rights are proud American traditions. Violent mobs and the intimidation of individuals because of their faith, however, are not,” the senators wrote.
The senators highlighted how an increase in anti-Israel activism is threatening the safety and rights of Jewish students at federally funded universities.
“Jewish students are being actively targeted, harassed, intimidated, threatened, and in some cases assaulted for one reason: their heritage and religion. This is fundamentally un-American. It is also a federal crime. . . . Equally disturbing are the prominent displays of symbols, flags, and slogans of terrorist groups at these campuses,” the senators expressed.
The lawmakers also highlighted that since the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks, the Judiciary Committee has held hearings concerning other civil rights issues in the U.S. but has not held any hearings regarding the blatant violations of Jewish students’ rights or the proliferation of terrorist ideology on campuses.
“. . . our Committee should examine why more is not being done to protect the civil rights of innocent students across America. We must also examine the threat to national security posed by the proliferation of radical Islamist ideology in the academy. These pressing issues demand our immediate attention,” the senators concluded.
The full letter is available here.
