Congresswoman Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), a member of a group of progressives in the House called the “Squad,” has come under criticism for comments about Jewish students attending colleges.
Omar made the comments while visiting Columbia University with her daughter Isra Hirsi, a Barnard student who was arrested for participating in an anti-Israel protest.
The Congresswoman noted that some Jewish students were part of the encampment.
“I think it is really unfortunate,” Omar she told a Fox 5 reporter. “That people don’t care about the fact that all Jewish kids should be kept safe, and that we should not have to tolerate anti-Semitism or bigotry for all Jewish students, whether they’re pro-genocide or anti-genocide.”
Republican Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) was furious over her claims.
“Talking about pro-genocide Jewish students is wrong,” Bacon told Axios,” adding that “folks can protest Israel, but don’t blame Jewish-American students for Israel. That is by definition anti-Semitism.”
A representative for Omar’s office claimed that the Congresswoman’s words “clearly condemned antisemitism and bigotry for all Jewish students,” adding, “Attempts to misconstrue her words by drafting this baseless resolution are meant to distract” from the Gaza conflict and anti-war protests.
In 2023, Omar was kicked out of the Foreign Affairs Committee over comments she made about Israel.
If censured, she would join Rep. Adam Schiff, Rashida Tlaib, and Jamaal Bowman, who were censured in 2023.
Several days before Columbia protestors forcefully took over a building, Omar said that the media and school officials were “inflaming the situation.”
Throughout history, protests were co-opted and made to look bad so police and public leaders would shut them down. That’s what we are seeing now at Columbia University. The Columbia protesters have made clear their demands and want their school not to be complacent in the ongoing…
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) April 22, 2024
The day after the Columbia building was taken over, the College Democrats of America announced that they were in “solidarity with protests for Peace at College Campuses Across the Country.”
— College Democrats of America (@CollegeDems) April 30, 2024
