The pro-Palestinian protests broken up on Virginia’s college campuses last spring have led to multiple legislative meetings. And a meeting of a House of Delegates committee Wednesday added to that list.
Dozens were arrested across Virginia in the wake of the October 7th attack on Israel and the pro-Palestinian protests that followed. A Senate committee heard from those impacted earlier this year, but Wednesday was the House of Delegates’ turn.
Testimony included students claiming to be targets of anti-semitic speech, and students who say they were brutally attacked by police for peacefully protesting. There were concerned parents, Virginia state police leadership, a First Amendment scholar from UVA and a member of Governor Glenn Youngkin’s administration.
Much of the testimony mirrored that given to the Senate in September.
But none of the testimony appeared to nail down a legislative approach quite yet. Here’s Democratic committee chair Delegate Charniele Herring.
“We want to make sure our legislators have a foundation, cause I’m sure, I shouldn’t say I’m sure, but I expect we’ll see some legislation," Herring told the press after the meeting. "Maybe there’s no need for legislation, but this at least gives us something, some knowledge.”
Republican Delegate Terry Kilgore is also a committee member and was similarly unsure what the future holds for new campus protest laws.
“We’re willing to look at the whole issue and that’s what we’re doing here,” Kilgore said.
Democratic Delegate Marcus Simon is Jewish and also a member of the committee, he said he’s got a son at Virginia Tech who hasn’t reported feeling unsafe, but he was open to hearing more testimony.
“I’m in a privileged position here in the world, I’ve got capitol police at my back the whole time," Simon told Radio IQ. "So, I’m not sure if my personal feelings are representative of the whole community."
A report on the issue is due next month though it's expected to be delayed so another meeting can be held ahead of the 2025 legislative session.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
