Virginia Democrats Wanted to Hear About Protests at Universities. Republicans Did Not Want to Listen.

Back in April and May, college campuses across the U.S. and Virginia contained both protests and strong police responses. Inspired by Columbia University, students across the country called upon school officals to have their schools divest from Israel as the ongoing genocide continued.

Spring of this year saw mass arrests in 4 major colleges in Virginia in the span of a week. 12 arrested at Mary Washington University on April 27, 82 arrested at Virginia Tech on April 28, 13 arrested at VCU on April 29, and 25 arrested at Virginia University on May 4.

Later that month Senator Ghazala Hashmi called for a committee to investigate the college responses. Hashmi is currently running for Lieutenant Governor in the 2025 election and is known for calm demeanor instead of attention-grabbing shouting.

The Virginia Senate does not have the power to subpoena and would require these colleges to voluntarily participate. Something delicate for college officials in the wake of a Congressional hearing last year where Republicans accused Ivy League presidents of antisemitism following college protests. Those hearings resulted in the termination of two university Presidents as conservatives wanted those colleges to take stronger actions against protests.

By September 17, the first meeting was finally held. The four colleges accounting for over 100 arrests in Virginia sent representatives as well as George Mason University. Senator Hashmi chaired the meeting and gave the rule that questions would not be directed to institution representatives or anyone else during public comment.

Republican Senators on the committee were vocalizing how upset they were during the meeting, namely Mark Peake, Tara Durant and Christie New Criag. Senator Hashmi held firm that she did not want 60 second sound clips.

As the colleges gave their presentations, most of them choose to play close to the vest with possible lawsuits against those colleges, instead choosing to talk about their policies on student demonstrations rather than the demonstrations themselves.

As George Mason University's representative was speaking, Senator Mark Peake interrupted to ask what where the protesters were chanting. Senator Hashmi reiterated that speakers would not be questioned today. Senator Peake raised his voice to say “When?” Senator Craig butted in to say that the members of the Senate Committee were denied their freedom of speech. Hashmi explained that the question will be sent to those institutions, and they will respond at a later time.

“Freedom of speech” actually means that the government cannot take away their ability to speak. These are elected representatives of the government following the rules established in the Virginia Senate. That's like saying it's a violation of the First Amendment because a congressman is not allowed to shout at the President during the State of the Union.

Senator Durant proclaimed that she will not be silenced and that otherwise the meeting is a shame. Senator Craig voiced her frustration, “it's going to be very difficult for us to have to remember who spoke, what they said, take down notes for this whole entire meeting.”

The committee began to take comments from individual members of the public. Both student protesters and Zionists had an opportunity to speak. When VCU student Sereen Haddad addressed the Senate Committee, Senator Mark Peake interrupted her. Peake was upset that Haddad referenced her family members that have been killed by Israeli in Gaza for reason why she was protesting.

Meanwhile Zionist speakers like Rabbi Dovid Asher of Keneseth could not resist from bringing up international politics and hurling baseless accusations at student protesters. Senator Hashmi asked Rabbi Asher to speak about issues in Virginia, but he kept with his soapbox speech. Members of the audience gesticulated in outrage until his time expired and he walked away from the podium. I must apologize because I was also wildly waving my hands in surprised by the absurdity.

The majority of the individual speakers were students and facility that experienced or witnessed police violence, many of them were arrested in the spring.

Some of the other speakers who are Zionists include unsuccessful Ashland Board of Supervisor candidate Yael Levin and Anti-Defamation League Meredith Weisel. Weisel said that “several Jewish students were asked to come speak today but were afraid.” Immediately after the representative from the ADL spoke, UVA student Eli Weinger said that “the only I have ever felt unsafe as a Jewish student at the University of Virginia is when [UVA] President [Jim] Ryan used my identity and my culture as cudgel with which to violently oppress Constitutional protected free speech.” Weinger was referring to the violent reaction that Virginia State Police had to protestors on May 4th.

Additionally, Virginia Public Safety Secretary Terry Cole said he had concerns about open-source reporting with “dark money” from Hamas and Hezbollah but could not share in open meeting. That open-source reporting Secretary Cole was referring to could be from the Foundation for Defense of Democracy. An NBC News report in March said that they could not find a clear link.

After the meeting Republican Senators came over and expressed their frustrations that they could not ask questions. Senator Peake said he interrupted individual speakers because he wanted to voice his frustration but not during college official speakers, something no true because he interrupted the representative from George Mason. Sereen Haddad briefly spoke to Senator Peake and the Senator walked away when she unsuccessful attempted to get the Senator to admit that there was an ongoing genocide in Gaza. Out in the hallways of the committee room, Zionists got in the face of students and began shouting about Hamas.

The purpose of the meeting was to listen; however, the Republican Senators did not want to listen, they wanted to obfuscate and accuse. It remains to be seen what lead to the events that caused 4 different Universities to have mass arrests in the span of a week. Were the universities under pressure from state officials to make arrests?

The Virginia Mercury had a FOIA a communication between Rob Bell of the Virginia Attorney General’s office and Aimee Guidera of the Virginia Education Department from April 26, the day before the first mass arrests at a Virginia college.

“It is the legal position of the Office of the Attorney General that setting up a tent or establishing an encampment on university or college property is disruptive of the school’s activities and may violate other administrative policies.”

Another group reacting this meeting is The Family Foundation. The Christian conservative lobbyist organization wrote “…this is a sham hearing on ‘free speech’ meant to give cover to pro-Hamas rioters.”

It's important to have a dialogue and communication, something Democratic Senators stressed and something that it looks like they will continue to do. Students for Justice in Palestine and other protesters will do so as well. But other sides in this seem too stubborn to do so. Zionists, and Christian conservatives are not interested in having a discussion, but instead name calling and blanket accusations. University officials do not want to discuss the school's investments in Israel and defense contractors which is why protests take to the street. Most of all, law enforcement does not have an open dialogue which is what VCU students and Richmonders saw on April 29th.