Long Island Assemblyman Doug Smith (R-Holbrook) who represents New York’s 5th Assembly District and serves as the Ranking Member on the New York State Assembly Education Committee commented on recent congressional testimony provided by the presidents of Harvard University, MIT, and University of Pennsylvania in response to allegations of antisemitic demonstrations on these college campuses:
“As a parent and educator, I am disgusted by the smug arrogance from the presidents of Harvard, MIT, and UPenn when questioned by Upstate NY Congresswoman Elise Stefanik at last week’s hearing when asked whether or not students calling for the genocide of Jews would violate the campuses policies on bullying and harassment.
I join all of my Republican and most of my Democrat colleagues in condemning this and will continue fighting to ensure students in colleges and universities across our state are safe and that this is not permitted to occur.
Calls for genocide on college campuses violate New York’s Human Rights Law and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act which will result in a loss of state and federal funds.
I join the American people and the people of our community and state in outrage at these college presidents behavior and hope they will be fired in the coming days.
Our institutions of higher education must exist as laboratories of critical thinking, not factories for indoctrination of a far left fringe ideology that shields itself in “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” while silencing opposition and creating an environment exclusive and hostile to any diversity of opinion that is not such.
I am also incensed by the so-called “Democratic Socialist” elected officials in government and certain vocal members of local Democratic committees that continue to call for the eradication of Israel and give comfort to the terrorist organization that is Hamas. I am a proud Republican, but these politicians are not representative of the average Democratic voter and are a disgrace to the Democratic Party of John F. Kennedy and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who fought to defeat the global evils of Nazism and Communism — not to embrace them.
By now many have seen the horrific videos and images that were published online of the brutal rape of women, kidnapping and killing of children, and torture of innocent people on October 7th, images that can never be unseen. Those who truly want peace should be calling on a total surrender by Hamas and a release of the hostages.
A ceasefire can begin today when these terrorists — who have used the sick, elderly, and children as human shields by operating out of hospitals — surrender immediately.”
