Ritchie Torres Says He Voted Against Condemning Hamas Support by Mistake

One of 22 Democratic representatives who voted against a House resolution condemning supporters of Hamas on U.S. university campuses said he opposed the motion in error and has vowed to change his vote.

Ritchie Torres, a congressman for New York, was originally among those to vote against the resolution, introduced by Representative Burgess Owens of Utah, a Republican, which denounced "support of Hamas, Hezbollah, and other terrorist organizations at institutions of higher education, which may lead to the creation of a hostile environment for Jewish students, faculty, and staff," as well as "all forms of antisemitism" on college campuses.

The motion was introduced amid a rise in campus tensions over the conflict between Israel and Hamas following a surprise attack by the Islamist militant group on October 7, which in some cases has spilled over into expressions of support for Hamas' actions and antisemitic threats.

In a statement Thursday night, Torres said he "mistakenly voted against a resolution condemning campus antisemitism."

"As a visible and vocal advocate against antisemitism on college campuses, especially in the wake of October 7, I have submitted a correction for the record," he said. "I have no use for pro-Hamas protesters, and I despise them with every fiber of my being."

Newsweek approached Torres' office via email for further comment on Friday.

Torres has previously expressed staunchly pro-Israel views, and has been outspoken against antisemitism. In a recent interview with Politico, he spoke of a "moral and historical necessity of Israel as a sanctuary for the Jewish people." His district, located within the Bronx, has a large Jewish population.

Among those who voted against the motion were several progressive Democrats, including members of the so-called "Squad," who have expressed support for Palestinians living in Gaza—which has been subject to Israeli air strikes and ground attacks since around 1,500 Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants staged a surprise attack on Israel on October 7—and have called for a ceasefire.

It was also opposed by one Republican, Thomas Massie, a representative for Kentucky, who said of his decision to vote no that there was no agreed definition of antisemitism, adding: "Free speech means protecting speech you don't like, not just speech you do like."

There have been numerous pro-Palestinian demonstrations on college campuses since the outbreak of violence last month, which in some cases have provoked criticism for appearing to praise Hamas or make Jewish students feel unsafe.

At Harvard University, 31 student groups wrote in an open letter that Israel was "solely responsible" for Hamas's attack, something that has lost some students job offers.

George Washington University has come under fire after controversial pro-Palestinian messages were projected onto a library—including the slogan "Glory to our martyrs"—while a Jewish alumni of Columbia University has threatened to pull his funding of the institution over its handling of tensions on campus.

Owens, who introduced Wednesday's motion, said following its passage: "Some universities may be afraid to speak up against antisemitism, hate, and terror—but I'm not. We have a moral obligation to stand with Israel." During the debate, no representatives spoke in opposition to the motion.

Update 11/03/23, 9:20 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include further information.

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