Key university officials admit failing to suspend disruptive pro-Palestinian protesters

University presidents admitted to members of Congress on Thursday that few students involved in the pro-Palestinian protests were suspended or expelled, even though they held encampments for weeks and violated university policies.

Northwestern University President Michael Schill, Rutgers University President Dr. Jonathan Holloway, and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Chancellor Dr. Gene Block, appeared before the House Education and Workforce Committee to testify about concerns about anti-Semitism on campus. Republican leader Virginia Foxx asked university officials how many students had been expelled or suspended as part of pro-Palestinian camps. (RELATED: ‘Smells of arrogance’: Harvard sued for alleged ‘deliberate indifference’ to anti-Semitism on campus)

“My question is for all three presidents,” Foxx said. “All of your universities were hotbeds of pervasive anti-Semitism. Please tell me how many students were suspended at your university? How many students have been expelled for anti-Semitic behavior since October 7th?”

Schill responded that to his knowledge no students had been suspended or expelled, but investigations were being conducted and there had been “employee terminations.” Hollaway did not say whether students had been expelled, but said four had been suspended.

“We also have an ongoing investigation, but I can report that we suspended four people and then 19 more experienced disciplinary consequences at other levels,” Holloway told Foxx.

REGARD:

Block did not say whether UCLA students were expelled or suspended, but said the university was investigating.

“I think we have over 100 ongoing investigations right now,” Block said. “We have been evaluating 100 cases of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia since October 7th.”

“So there are very few students who have received any kind of disciplinary action from your universities,” Foxx concluded.

Los Angeles police were forced to intervene when violence erupted between pro-Palestinian protesters and anti-Israel counter-protesters, resulting in one person being transported to the hospital by ambulance. Internal university communications documents later revealed that UCLA had opposed a larger police presence at the protest before fighting broke out. According to NBC News, over 200 people were arrested after police broke up the camp.

Northwestern reached an agreement with the protesters after a week of pro-Palestinian encampments on campus. The university agreed to reconsider proposals to disinvest from Israel, The Associated Press reported. Northwestern has also received more than $690 million since 2007 from Qatar, which has been known for years for harboring Hamas.

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