Members of the Florida delegation on Capitol Hill wrote U.S. Education Sec. Miguel Cardona last week, calling on him “to engage immediately with colleges and universities on their obligations to take prompt and appropriate action to respond to harassment that creates a hostile environment for Jewish students.”
More than 40 Republicans in the U.S. House signed the letter, including U.S. Reps. Aaron Bean, Gus Bilirkais, Vern Buchanan, Kat Cammack, Scott Franklin, Maria Elvira Salazar and Michael Waltz from Florida.
Bilirakis’ office noted that the letter came after “disgusting and disturbing pro-Hamas demonstrations that have continued to take place on campuses throughout the country and around the globe since the terrorist organization’s brutal attack against Israel last weekend.”
“Many student groups have issued statements condoning and even celebrating the terror attack which should be considered a modern-day pogrom. Some student groups have even utilized imagery of a paraglider to advertise their rallies, unequivocally celebrating the despicable tactics used by Hamas- a terrorist organization that President Biden stated is ‘a group whose state purpose for being is to kill Jews’ in his October 10th remarks. As you are aware, schools have a legal obligation under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to provide all students, including Jewish students, a school environment free from discrimination based on race, color, or national origin, including shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics,” the members wrote Cardona.
