LA FREEDOM CAUCUS CONDEMNS ATTACKS ON JEWISH STUDENTS AT TULANE UNIVERSITY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 28, 2023
CONTACT: press@lafreedomcaucus.org, (225) 267-7858

BATON ROUGE—The Louisiana Freedom Caucus (LAFC) condemns the violent attacks on Jewish students at Tulane University. LAFC is putting Tulane and other colleges and universities in our state on notice: the people of Louisiana will not tolerate organized rioting against anyone, and that most certainly includes the Jewish people.

These riots on America’s college campuses nationwide are being funded and organized by groups such as the Muslim Students Association (MSA), and others. MSA is a Muslim Brotherhood organization founded in 1963 at the University of Illinois with funding from Saudi Arabia. Hamas is another of the violent organizations founded by the Muslim Brotherhood. Hamas was designated as a foreign terrorist organization by President Bill Clinton in 1997 and justifiably remains on the list today.

It is illegal under federal law to provide any terrorist organization with material support. In Louisiana, we have state laws that criminalize aiding terrorist support, as well. LAFC will be looking in the upcoming sessions to tighten these laws to more clearly define the scope of material support to include these funded, organized attacks on our peace and security. The Holy Land Foundation trial was the largest terrorism trial in American history. The documentation presented into evidence in this trial provides a look at links between these organizations that share the same funding. The MSA and others behind these efforts were shown to share some personnel and funding which warrants further exploration.

In that regard, in Louisiana, aiding others in terrorism is also a predicate crime under our criminal and civil Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organization (RICO) statues which provide enhanced criminal penalties for these felonies as well as civil causes of action. These civil RICO statutes are especially powerful in Louisiana as they provide treble damages and attorney's fees for victims of crime organized by these groups. LAFC will work to bring the commission of assault and battery during riots organized by these groups as a predicate crime under Louisiana’s RICO statutes.

“The Louisiana Freedom Caucus will not sit idly by and allow this violence to go unpunished. We will consider any and all legislation to protect our citizens,” said Larry Frieman, Vice Chairman and Founding Member of the Louisiana Freedom Caucus.

“We will not tolerate organized violence against the Jewish people anywhere in Louisiana. We have a lot of trial lawyers here who would love to go after the deep pockets funding this hatred of the Jewish people nationwide,” said Beryl Amedée, Secretary-Treasurer and Founding Member of the Louisiana Freedom Caucus. “Leftist organizations, in concert with these Muslim Brotherhood groups, will get special attention as we seek to protect our citizens and students at our colleges and universities from an organized effort to incite violence and terrorize our people.”###

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