Donna Edwards on Anti-Semitic Protests in College Campuses: ‘Really Complex for College Presidents’ to Manage Conversations

CAPEHART: “As a result, a rabbi at Columbia University is urging all Jewish students to return to their homes for their own safety. This will come on the eve of the Jewish Passover holiday, which begins tomorrow night. the White House released a statement this afternoon saying, ‘Violence and physical intimidation towards the Jewish community is anti-Semitic and has no place in the United States. Back with me, Charlie Sykes, former Congresswoman Donna Edwards, and Sophia Cai. In the break, Congresswoman Edwards, we were just sort of chatting about this, and you mentioned you’re on the board of the university. How have these demonstrations impacted — just your view on the impact of these demonstrations on university campuses around the country?”
Edwards: “Look, I do think that it really depends on where you are, and I think that’s certainly been our experience on the board of Wake Forest University, and our president, along with the deans, have been really careful about managing the conversations among students, which is quell things. But it is a different campus than the Columbia campus. So I think it is really complex for college presidents, but there is absolutely no place for violence. Plenty of place for protest, no place for violence.”
CAPEHART: “Charlie?”
SYKES: “No, I agree completely. I mean, there’s two principles they need to uphold. Number one is freedom of speech, the freedom to peacefully assemble. But also, they need to draw the line when it comes to intimidation and violence. And I have to admit, as the son of the Jewish World War II veteran, I continue to be shocked, although perhaps I shouldn’t be, by some of the anti-Semitic rhetoric and some of the hatred directed at Jews. It is one thing to disagree with Israeli foreign policy, to support the Palestinian rights, but there have been occasions which that has crossed that line. I think that any university needs to find that balance between protecting free speech and the right to protest, but then also creating an environment where Jewish students do not have to fear for their safety on the university campus.”