Professor Highlights Republican Efforts to Probe Antisemitism

(MENAFN) A Georgetown Law professor has argued that the Republican-led drive to probe alleged antisemitism amid pro-Palestinian activism on college campuses is effectively a strategy to suppress lawful expression.

This assertion was made during a congressional hearing on Wednesday.

David Cole, formerly the legal director at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and now a distinguished faculty member at Georgetown, stated, "These proceedings, with all due respect, have more in common with those of the House Un-American Activities Committee.

His remark drew a historical parallel to the infamous congressional body that, during the Cold War, targeted individuals suspected of harboring communist leanings, often with contentious and damaging results.

Among its high-profile subjects was J. Robert Oppenheimer, the physicist regarded as the principal figure behind the creation of the atomic bomb.

Cole contended that the current congressional investigations do not aim to uncover the truth but rather to discourage constitutionally protected expression.

“They are not an attempt to find out what happened, but an attempt to chill protected speech,” he testified.

“That was a mistake then, and it is a mistake now.”

Appearing alongside Cole were the presidents of Haverford College, DePaul University, and California Polytechnic State University.

Wendy Raymond, Robert Manuel, and Jeffrey Armstrong offered detailed accounts of how their institutions have responded to pro-Palestinian demonstrations and addressed concerns about antisemitic behavior following the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

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