Rep. Burgess Owens, R-Utah, told Newsmax on Monday that the anti-Israel protesters that have been creating chaos at universities across the country in recent weeks are "Marxists" and the United States is "truly under attack."
During an appearance on "Wake Up America," the Utah Republican said the pro-Palestinian demonstrations on college campuses are reminiscent of the Black Lives Matter protests that caused millions of dollars in property damage in 2020.
"These folks are coming in, and they're organized," Owens said. "There's millions and millions of dollars being pushed into this. … In those days, it was supposed to be the Blacks that were being the oppressed. Now, it's the Israel, it's the American, it's the capitalism that are the oppressors.
"So, it's the same message because it's the same people. These are Marxists. They're the slow march of Marxism through our institutions that's been going on for 40 to 50 years. We've seen the results of it, and we're at a point, thank goodness, we're tired of it."
"This is a good moment for us to really put on pause and recognize we're truly under attack," he said. "It seems that it happens every four years when there's an election year. This time, the American people are not going for it and we're not going to be afraid of this process these guys are going through.
"We're going to put our feet down and elect the president who will get us back to law and order again."
Owens said that America "is tired" of the protests and the "entitlement mentality," and criticized both the entrance standards and curriculum quality of ostensibly elite institutions.
"You have young people standing up there and making no sense," he said. "No critical thinking skills. You wonder what is being taught today. What is the bar to get into these 'colleges' that take $60,000 to $90,000 per year?"
He added that Americans are pushing back against the Marxist infiltration of their country and said, "We're not going to put up with it."
"American families are saying, I'm not going to put my kids into a place where they can come out hating our country," Owens said. "I love to see these young people across the country with American flags shouting, 'USA.' We are back and, I tell you, I don't think the left knew what they were going to do when they started pressing this issue of trying to make us afraid of them bullying us.
"That's not in our DNA to take that and the American people are standing up for it. I'm very excited about that."
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Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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