At a meeting hosted by the self-described ‘centrist’ political group No Labels, nearly 300 attendees, including several university trustees, heard from Democratic Representative Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey and Republican Representative Mike Lawler of New York about how Congress can help further repress student protesters and how the FBI can become more involved.
No Labels promoted Wednesday’s event as a ‘special Zoom meeting’ with ‘leading voices in their party’ who oppose student protests against the war in Gaza, which have spread to more than 150 campuses over the past two weeks, The Intercept reported.
According to a recording of the meeting obtained by The Intercept, both representatives praised the response of universities that called on police to violently suppress the protests and promised that Congress would do more to investigate student mobilisations.
Pro-Palestinian protests blamed on ‘malicious outside actors’
Members of Congress and university administrators have repeatedly claimed that ‘malicious outside actors’ are funding and organising pro-Palestinian encampments on college campuses.
Gottheimer said he had been in contact with Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officials about the campus protests. ‘Based on my conversations with the FBI – I can’t go into more detail because of my committee responsibilities – but I can say that I think people are aware that this is a problem,’ Gottheimer told the House Intelligence Committee.
I think the key is to follow the money. We need to follow the money. A lot of these universities are not transparent at all about where the money is coming from,’ the congressman said, adding that he could not speak for local FBI field offices, but that ‘everybody has to step up to the plate.
New York University honorary president praises police
Highlights of the debate included greater FBI involvement in investigations on American college campuses and fears that anti-war protests are being fuelled by ‘outside agitators’.
Welcoming the police arrest of dozens of students on his campus this week, New York University President Emeritus and Executive Vice President Bill Berkley claimed that a New York-based Palestine solidarity group was spearheading protests in the city and suggested that the FBI launch an investigation.
Berkley claimed to have ‘decoded messages’ showing that the group was directing people to the Columbia encampment. He also suggested that the demonstrations were being organised from the outside because many of the tents at the campus protests were the same.
This claim has been echoed by many prominent critics of the protest, including New York City Mayor Eric Adams. However, the tents sell for $15 at Five Below and about $30 at Amazon and Walmart.
Berkley then asked why the FBI had not yet taken action against the protests, saying: “By the way, the FBI and terrorist watch groups know about this; why haven’t we seen any action by the federal government?”
Republicans target university funding
House Republicans announced this week that they will investigate federal funding for universities that organise campus protests. House Speaker Mike Johnson announced the plans on Tuesday, along with the chairmen of six congressional committees.
Gottheimer and Lawler are among the leading members of Congress who have worked hard to defend Israel during its brutal invasion of Gaza.
They have led ‘bipartisan’ efforts to silence criticism of Israel and protect Israel from being held accountable for using billions of US dollars in violation of international law.
A familiar labelling in the US: Outside agitators
Writing in The Nation, Dave Zirin points out that the theme of ‘outside agitators’ has been used in American politics since the late 1940s.
It was first used by the anti-communist John Birch Society and Jim Crow supporters against civil rights activists to denigrate the struggle for black freedom.
According to the author, their argument was: ‘Blacks in the South were perfectly happy with white supremacy until a bunch of radical, profiteering communists from the North came along and told them there was something wrong with the world.
