House Republicans Issue Statement on Protests at Johns Hopkins University

Annapolis – The House Republican Caucus today issued the following statement regarding the ongoing protests on the campus of Johns Hopkins University:

“While we recognize and support students’ First Amendment rights to express themselves on issues where we strongly disagree, including the right to peacefully protest on campus, this does not include the right to engage in hate speech, to advance antisemitic tropes and dangerous rhetoric, or to participate in any form of unlawful, violent, or threatening behavior towards other students, administrators, or the public.

What is occurring at Johns Hopkins and other universities across the country has escalated from peaceful protest to dangerous anarchy and full-blown antisemitism.

Hamas is a terrorist organization. They currently hold hundreds of hostages, including women and children, whose sole “offense” is being Jewish and residing in Israel.

Johns Hopkins University, while a private institution, is heavily funded by Maryland taxpayer dollars. University leadership, as well as other college leaders across Maryland’s public universities, should immediately take a strong stance against all individuals – students and outside agitators alike – who exceed the bounds of peaceful protest and engage in clear acts of antisemitic violence, harassment, and trespass, or who attempt to essentially blackmail universities from associating with Israel, our staunchest ally in the Middle East and a nation with deep meaning to countless Marylanders”.