Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) shared his “disgust” over antisemitic protests on campuses during a meeting with pro-Israel and Jewish students at George Washington University’s Hillel on Wednesday.
The senator’s daughter attended the school, located just blocks from the White House and U.S. State Department.
“What I am seeing on that campus today is something I never could have imagined,” he said. “Our Jewish students deserve to have a place where they can live and learn without fearing for their safety—starting with university leadership that has the backbone to stand for their safety, or step aside.”
He also commended the courage of the school’s Jewish and pro-Israel community “in the face of horrific antisemitism and violence that is spreading like a cancer across college campuses.”
“We also need local and state leaders willing to condemn this behavior and take action against this hate,” he said, noting that Muriel Bowser, the mayor of Washington, D.C., is among those “refusing to do so.”
“My message to these protestors is clear: If you choose to engage in these vile incitements to acts of violence against Jewish students and Jewish members of the community, you should be held fully accountable, prosecuted and expelled,” he said.
“I will continue to do everything in my power to support our Jewish community and stand with Israel,” he added.