The Sconi

U.S. Senate candidate for Wisconsin, Eric Hovde, has responded to the protest encampments set up by a University of Wisconsin Madison pro-Palestine group. He expressed his belief that taxpayers should not be supporting the loans of "students at these antisemitic protests." Hovde made these comments on April 29.

"Hardworking families should not pay a dime for the loans of the students at these antisemitic "protests," said Eric D. Hovde, Senate candidate in Wisconsin, according to X. "Will @tammybaldwin stand with Wisconsin or the woke mob?"

Screenshot of post on X | https://twitter.com/EricHovde/status

The University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW Madison) students have established protest encampments on campus. The Badger Herald reports that they are protesting the university's connections to Israel amid the ongoing war in Gaza. The organization behind this demonstration is Students for Justice in Palestine UW–Madison. According to UW-Madison campus protest policies, camping on university property is prohibited.

According to an Instagram post by The Young Democratic Socialists of America at UW Madison, UW police began making arrests on April 29.

"We deeply value the right to free expression and have consistently supported those on our campus and in our community who have chosen to exercise this right in a variety of ways, including through protest, within the boundaries of law and campus policies," said Jennifer Mnookin, UW Madison Chancellor, in a statement released on April 26. She further clarified that while they support the right to protest, there are limitations on campus protests such as camping which "will have consequences, both within our code of student conduct and more broadly under Wisconsin law."

Hovde questioned his opponent Sen. Tammy Baldwin's stance over the Israel-Gaza war as he perceives her as being "desperate to appease the progressive left." He asked: "Do you agree with the protestors that Israel is committing a genocide? Do you think these anti-semitic protesters are a key constituency for your re-election effort? Will you call on the protestors to follow UW directives and disband?" Hovde asserted that if Baldwin does not call for an end to the protests, she is "implicitly condoning this unlawful behavior."

According to his website, Eric Hovde hails from Madison, Wisconsin and is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is currently running for U.S. Senate in Wisconsin.