McConnell says university presidents 'need to control' campus protests

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Sunday declined to say whether he would bring the National Guard to college campuses amid large-scale pro-Palestinian protests, saying university presidents are “defensive.” He argued that there should be a “line in the sand”.

Asked on CBS News' “Face the Nation” if he agreed with some Republicans' calls for the National Guard, McConnell said: The First Amendment is important. But you can't argue that there's a fire in the theater. Because it threatens others. ”

“What needs to happen, at least initially, is that university presidents need to take control of the situation, allow free speech and push back against anti-Semitism,” he added. “I thought it was almost gone in this country. But we've seen a lot of young people who are actually anti-Semitic. Instead of trying to dominate the discussion, everyone should sit down and How about we have a civil conversation?”

Protests over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip have continued for more than a week on a string of university campuses across the country, prompting student arrests, suspensions and some students switching to hybrid learning.

Many of the protests were reported to have been peaceful, but concerns have been raised about student safety and the prevalence of anti-Semitic rhetoric. Anti-Semitism is on the rise in the United States following Hamas's Oct. 7 attack on Israel, but some protest groups reject the characterization of recent demonstrations as anti-Semitic.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) last week visited Columbia University, the first school to start large-scale protests, and urged President Biden to stop the demonstrations, calling them “dangerous.” He suggested calling in the National Guard.

When asked again if he intended to serve in the National Guard at this time, McConnell replied: “Let's see if university presidents can take control of the situation. They should be able to do that. I want to hear anti-Semites justify such stories. I am thinking.”

Last week, the White House ended Johnson and others' call for the National Guard, but White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre insisted the issue was up to governors, not the president.

Hundreds of students and faculty members calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war and an end to U.S. military aid to Israel were arrested after some schools called in local and state police to break up the protests. .