House Speaker Mike Johnson visited Columbia University on Wednesday as the campus continues to grapple with unrest and protests over the Israel-Hamas conflict. Earlier on Wednesday, Johnson called on Columbia President Shafik to resign, calling her a “very weak, inept leader.” Johnson met with a group of Jewish students, then addressed reporters and protesters, where he was greeted with boos and jeers from the protesters.
Johnson, who is visiting Columbia on Wednesday, has railed against Nemat"Minouche" Shafik's handling of pro-Palestinian student protests and antisemitism on campus following Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel and Israel's subsequent war in Gaza. Over 100 Columbia students taking part in the week-long protest have been arrested by riot police and suspended by the university, while repeated reports of antisemitic incidents have sparked condemnation from school officials, lawmakers and student protesters who say outside groups are responsible.
Columbia University President Nemat “Minouche” Shafik ordered classes to move online on Monday after an unauthorized pro-Palestinian encampment took place on campus recently, with New York Police Department officers arresting over 100 protesters on Thursday. Johnson noted that Columbia has been overtaken by “radical and extreme ideologies” and that Hamas has endorsed the pro-Palestinian protests on campus.