00:00Thank you all for having me. Thank you to UAW for gathering university faculty and union
00:17members to be here with us. Thank you for your bravery and your testimony. The hearing
00:23we just witnessed was done under the guise of protecting Jewish students on college
00:29campuses. These hearings are thinly veiled attacks on higher education in itself and
00:38one of the most fundamental democratic rights free speech. Let's be clear, Jewish students
00:46like every other student deserves to be protected and to feel safe on campus. However, purpose
00:53fully labeling legitimate peaceful anti-war protests as anti-Semitism is not only misguided
01:02but it is dangerous. It muddies the waters and prevents us from identifying and fighting
01:10real acts of hate and bigotry. We have to be unequivocal that it is not anti-Semitic
01:17to critique the policies and the military actions or the government of Israel. It is
01:25also not anti-Semitic to voice support for Palestinian people who have faced decades
01:33of oppression, displacement, and the violation of their human rights under the Israeli occupation,
01:41apartheid, and the genocide that's currently being carried out. Yet campus protests expressing
01:48these views have been inaccurately portrayed by university administrators and even some
01:54of my colleagues in Congress as causing chaos and spreading hatred. These protests have
02:02been that we have seen on campus across this nation overwhelmingly express solidarity with
02:10the Palestinian people and are in opposition to the genocide we have witnessed for months.
02:18The truth is the ability to freely explore ideas and express viewpoints even controversial
02:27ones is what allows universities to fulfill their role as a higher place for learning.
02:37Undermining this freedom is an attack on higher education in itself. Faculty members,
02:44teachers, researchers, academic staff have a right to academic freedom and cannot live
02:51in fear of punishment, retaliation for voicing dissent. Taking away these rights prevents
02:58intellectual growth from happening. When we create a climate of fear over writings, teachings,
03:06and research that some people might not agree with, we begin walking down an anti-democratic
03:14path to prevent societal progress. So let's be clear about the real underlying motives
03:24at play behind this congressional hearing. This is not about protecting minority communities
03:30that in itself has historically been prosecuted. It is an attempt to silence everyone that
03:36expresses dissent with dissent of Israel and the genocide they are currently carrying in
03:43Gaza. We have to be truly honest about what we are witnessing and we have to tell the
03:52real stories. It was my honor just now before getting here to participate in that committee
03:59which I'm a member of and to hold Chancellor Block accountable. Because no matter the stories
04:10that he tells about protecting students, there is no way to get rid of the images that we've
04:17all seen. The people who were punished were the ones who were violently attacked and beaten.
04:25The ones who have not been punished are the agitators who beat up the students and faculty
04:30and the staff that were holding down a peaceful encampment. You cannot square those two truths.
04:38The reality of what is happening in these college campuses as these administrators fake
04:46their outrage about the need to protect students is disgusting. And as a parent of one of these
04:56students that has been punished for standing up for their truth and have not seen a single
05:04punishment for people that have utilized anti-Muslim speech, anti-Palestinian speech, people who
05:15have called Jews who are standing with Palestinians fake Jews. But we have punished people who
05:25are standing up against this genocide. Tells you everything you need to know on what these
05:30administrators care about. And with that, I invite my brother in service, Representative
05:43Jamal Bowman.
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