Oklahoma Governor, Kevin Stitt (R), strongly condemned the pro-Palestine protesters on Monday, accusing them of engaging in “hate speech.” He made it clear that such behavior would not be tolerated in his state.
During an appearance on Fox News’ Fox & Friends, Stitt expressed his support for Israel, stating that they are the United States’ greatest ally in the Middle East.
Kilmeade responded, acknowledging that it was once widely understood. However, he expressed concern over the fact that there are now 900 people who have been arrested and numerous schools across the country that view Israel as the wrongdoer. These individuals are pushing for divestment and refusing to back down. Kilmeade found the sheer number of people who disagree with him and his counterpart to be staggering, leading him to question the future generation of leaders in the country.
Stitt put forth his argument:
I think it’s a very small minority that are super vocal. They need to be held accountable. I wish every young person could watch the video of the GoPro cameras on October 7. These people with machine guns that literally there was a concert going on for young people and they came in and just started mowing them down. That’s not right, and I mean who are these people that are saying that they encourage that or they stand with Hamas? Man, I would kick ’em out of universities. This is unbelievable. This is hate speech.
In his concluding statement, he emphasized the importance of opposition to this issue, stating, “The Jewish community, along with anyone who stands for justice, should firmly reject this.”
In a social media post on Monday evening, Stitt reinforced his remarks.
Governor’s Message: “If you align yourself with these terrorist groups, it’s time to reassess your mindset. We value free speech here in Oklahoma, but we will not tolerate hate speech.”
Stitt has previously criticized universities for infringing upon the First Amendment and failing to adequately safeguard free speech rights for students on campus.
In 2022, the governor took action by signing a bill that established the Oklahoma Free Speech Committee.
