The Republican-controlled House Oversight Committee announced Wednesday morning that it had canceled a hearing scheduled for later in the day in which lawmakers planned to question D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser about her response to the pro-Palestinian student protests in George Washington University. The cancellation came hours after police raided and cleared the student encampment, which had been occupying a lawn on campus since April 25.
According to The GW Hatchet, the university's student newspaper, more than 30 protesters were arrested by the DC Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) around 3:30 a.m. Wednesday. Police surrounded the camp and deployed pepper spray against protesters who refused to vacate the area or tried to forcibly enter the site to support the protesters. Previously, MPD had refused to clear the camp since the student protesters had shown “no violence, no violent behavior, no confrontation” and were not considered a threat to public safety.
Bowser, a Democrat, was summoned to appear before the House Oversight Committee by its chairman, Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) last week. “The House Oversight Committee is deeply concerned by reports that the DC Metropolitan Police Department has rejected George Washington University's request for assistance in removing radical, anti-Semitic and illegal protesters occupying the campus and surrounding public lands,” he said. Comer in a statement. Bowser's presence was confirmed by a committee spokesman on Tuesday.
In a statement to reporters issued hours after the encampment was cleared, MPD Chief Pamela A. Smith said the department had begun coordination with Bowser on plans to clear the camp on Monday, citing increased volatility in the protest. Smith confirmed that 33 protesters were arrested on various charges of trespassing and assaulting law enforcement, and confirmed that no police officers were seriously injured during the event.
Smith denied that the timing of MPD's decision to clear the camp had anything to do with the scheduled hearing. Bowser told reporters she spoke with Comer that morning, who “expressed an interest in making sure the city and the chief could focus on this ongoing business.”
“I expect this hearing will be withdrawn,” Bowser added.
The hearing was indeed blocked. In a announcement that announces canceling Wednesday's hearing, Comer wrote that he was “pleased that the potential Oversight hearing led to swift action by Mayor Bowser and MPD Chief Smith.”
“Following the Metropolitan Police Department's final clearance of the illegal encampment on the GW campus, I am pleased to announce that the hearing with Mayor Bowser has been cancelled. I had a good talk with Mayor Bowser. I thanked her for finally clearing the offenders from the GW Campus,” Comer added.
The decision to have the police attack the protesters was endorsed by at least one Democratic congressman. Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) applauded the MPD's actions.
“Like [George Washington University] graduate, glad to see the illegal encampment on campus cleared by the MPD. I hope MPD will continue to assist GW in enforcing its policies and code of conduct,” he wrote.
The crackdown on student protesters at GWU coincides with a nationwide wave of violent police action against student protesters demanding that universities and colleges divest from companies that profit from the ongoing war between Israel and Gaza – where more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in the brutal Israeli siege against the Gaza Strip.
According to an Associated Press analysis, more than 2,000 students, faculty and others was arrested throughout the United States in relation to the protests. Aggression against protesters — in Los Angeles, New York and across the nation — has only fueled the protest movement, which shows no signs of abating.
from our partners at https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/dc-mayor-muriel-bowser-testimony-canceled-student-protesters-1235017095/
