Rep. Ilhan Omar's daughter was spotted back on the Columbia University campus Thursday with her mother, a week after being arrested for participating in an unauthorized tent encampment set up on the front lawn of the elite New York City school.
Omar's daughter, Isra Hirsi, was protesting U.S. support for Israel's war against Hamas and Columbia's financial relationship with companies that do business in Israel.
Omar, D-Minn., interacted with and took photos with other people participating in the demonstration alongside her daughter, who is a student at nearby Barnard College.
Hirsi was arrested and issued a summons last week for trespassing, although Barnard College president Laura Rosenbury has offered to lift interim suspensions of students who have no previous record of misconduct if those students follow the campus rules.
Omar praised her daughter following the suspension, saying she was "enormously proud" of her for "standing against genocide."
"She has always led with courage and compassion, from organizing a statewide school walk out on the 20th anniversary of Columbine at the age of 15, to leading the biggest youth climate rally at our nation's Capitol at 16, and now pushing her school to stand against genocide," Omar wrote in a post to X. "Stepping up to change what you can't tolerate is why we as a country have the right to speech, assembly, and petition enshrined in our constitution."
She also said the Columbia protests were being "co-opted and made to look bad" by public officials and media members.
"Throughout history, protests were co-opted and made to look bad so police and public leaders would shut them down. That's what we are seeing now at Columbia University," Omar wrote Wednesday on X.
"The Columbia protesters have made clear their demands and want their school not to be complacent in the ongoing Genocide in Gaza. Public officials and media making this about anything else are inflaming the situation and need to bring calmness and sanity back."
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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