BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) wants President Biden and other federal agencies to protect Jewish college students from an increase in violence.
The call for action comes in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war.
Cassidy said he’s alarmed by the rising rate of antisemitism on campuses across the country, and it has prompted him to ask the FBI and other federal agencies to prioritize investigations into attacks against Jewish students, and to demand action from the administration.
“The threats and violence against Jewish students and Israeli students are despicable. No student should be afraid to go to school,” said Cassidy.
A roundtable meeting headed up by Cassidy is scheduled for Thursday on Capitol Hill where Jewish students, faculty and education experts will discuss Title VI of the Civil Rights Act that Cassidy says should be used to safeguard students.
“The Biden administration, by law, has a responsibility to use enforcement power under the Civil Rights Act to prohibit discrimination in programs and activities for institutions receiving federal funds,” said Cassidy.
The clash of ideologies held by pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian groups has also played out on a Louisiana campus.
Tulane University in New Orleans was the scene of violent clashes just days ago during a Free Palestine protest. Injuries were reported and arrests were made.
“I thought State Police handled it well, campus police were there, and the university put out a statement,” said Cassidy.
University President Michael Fitts condemned the violence and signed an email published by the Tulane Hullabaloo that read in part, “We condemn and are outraged by today’s violence and the hateful language and rhetoric we heard. It is counter to everything we stand for at Tulane. What started out as a peaceful demonstration unfortunately devolved into a violent incident and a dark day for our community.”
Last week Cassidy and several other senators asked HELP Committee Chair Bernie Sanders (I-VT) to hold a full committee hearing on the issue, but as of the publishing of this story, no meeting has been scheduled.
