As George Mason College grapples with the newest incident of antisemitism connected to its Fairfax, Virginia, campus, Democrats within the Virginia State Senate rejected Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s nomination of one of the vital country’s preeminent antisemitism students to its Board of Guests.
Kenneth Marcus, the Brandeis Middle’s founder and a former undersecretary within the Schooling Division’s civil rights department, used to be considered one of a couple of Youngkin nominees who had been struck from attention via the Senate Privileges & Elections Committee on a party-line vote.
Marcus has been described via The New York Instances as “the person who helped redefine campus antisemitism,” and instructed Fox Information Virtual in a Wednesday interview he had was hoping to proceed that paintings at GMU.
“It used to be disappointing to look Democratic senators shifting to dam my nomination at exactly the similar time that we had been attaining a quite vital victory over antisemitism in our Harvard University case,” Marcus stated, noting he had served with out incident at the GMU board since mid-2024.
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George Washington College scholars participate in a Gaza cohesion encampment along side different Wasington, D.C.-area universities. (Getty)
“There’s in point of fact not anything that I will be able to call to mind that I’ve carried out that may stir any controversy as opposed to operating to offer protection to George Mason scholars from antisemitism,” he stated, noting the varsity has struggled with the problem nowadays.
A GMU freshman IT primary and Egyptian nationwide is being investigated via the FBI on fees of distributing data on guns in furtherance of a violent crime and threats towards a international professional, in step with NBC Information.
Abdullah Ezzeldin Taha Mohamed Hassan, 18, of Falls Church, Virginia, used to be allegedly seeking to orchestrate a bombing of the Israeli Consulate in New York Town.
Leaders from Scholars for Justice in Palestine had been additionally banned from campus after police discovered “Demise to Jews” and “Demise to The usa” signage in conjunction with firearms.
“This can be a large factor presently at George Mason with some very irritating high-profile problems going down,” Marcus stated.
An individual accustomed to Youngkin’s ideas at the scenario stated the governor has “stored his cool” and isn’t enticing publicly however is incensed concerning the Democrats’ transfer.
“He’s quietly operating in hopes Democratic senators are seeing the mistake in their tactics,” the individual instructed Fox Information Virtual.
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Marcus stated he labored onerous to fight antisemitism on campus within the seven months he has been on campus. “I’ve been more than happy to give you the chance to paintings with the management and board of that establishment to deal with an overly significant issue occurring right here.”
Marcus stated one merchandise he were operating on used to be incorporating antisemitism definitions into GMU’s anti-discrimination coverage.
“Since I joined the board, probably the most vital factor I have carried out has been to paintings with the management to include the speculation of a operating definition of antisemitism into George Mason’s anti-discrimination coverage. That used to be an enormous advance, and it is been very influential. It used to be disappointing to look contributors of the Common Meeting reply as they’ve,” he stated.
GMU has additionally been topic to anti-Zionist vandalism. As of closing February, GMU President Gregory Washington stated there were no less than 70 antisemitism incident stories to directors and stated a federal probe into reported malign task.
“I’ve been requested on a lot of events to forestall the scholar protests. Even whilst you’re protesting towards me, I nonetheless enhance it as a result of I enhance freedom of speech,” Washington instructed the Fourth Estate pupil newspaper.
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The Virginia State Capitol. (Getty)
The Senate P&E Committee additionally got rid of nominations for former Vice President Mike Pence Leader of Group of workers Marc Brief and Nina Rees, a senior professional for the George W. Bush Presidential Library, in addition to an schooling legal professional from the Richmond company McGuire-Woods.
Richmond Republicans are hoping so as to add Marcus’ title again to the regulation checklist showed nominees on Thursday, however a supply advised their trail stays not likely with none Democrat defections within the 21-19 Senate.
Fox Information Virtual reached out to each Senate Majority Chief Scott Surovell, D-Alexandria, and Senate P&E Committee Chair Aaron Rouse, D-Virginia Seashore, about Marcus’ rejection.
