Candidates accuse student demonstrators of being ‘party of Hamas’

The candidates on Wednesday’s Republican debate stage were largely united in expressing their full support for the Israeli government in its war with Hamas. But they differed somewhat on how to handle responses to the conflict within the United States.

Asked how they would respond to anti-Semitism on college campuses, the candidates vowed to crack down on student protesters, suggesting pro-Palestinian activists were voicing support for Hamas. Only one, Vivek Ramaswamy, said students should not face retaliation and defended their right to free speech.

Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina proposed ideological tests for universities to receive federal funding and said he would deport students with visas he claimed were “encouraging Jewish genocide.”

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis played his role in encouraging the State University System of Florida to ban chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine, saying, “We are not going to use state tax dollars to fund jihad.” He criticized the Biden administration for initiatives to combat “so-called Islamophobia.”

And Nikki Haley, former United Nations ambassador and governor of South Carolina, suggested that university administrators were more tolerant of anti-Semitism than of racism. “If the KKK did this, every college president would take action,” she said. “This is no different. You have to treat it exactly the same. Anti-Semitism is just as terrible as racism.”

Mr. Ramaswamy also denounced what he called the “scourge of anti-Semitism,” calling students, who he said were “siding with Hamas,” “fools” who “have no idea what the hell they are talking about.” But he stopped short of calling for punishment, calling Mr. DeSantis and Ms. Haley “pro-censorship.”

“We don’t fight this with censorship because that creates even worse gut punches,” he said. “We suppress it through leadership by calling it out.”

Chris Christie, the former governor of New Jersey, was the only candidate asked about Islamophobia. He referred to his experiences as a lawyer in the United States after the September 11 attacks and said he had fought hate crimes against Jewish Americans and Muslim Americans in New Jersey.

“To do this requires leadership,” he said. “You have to work with both sides.”