JERUSALEM — Allegations of recurring United Nations anti-Israel activity, including accusations that United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres seemed to rationalize Hamas’ murder of 1,400 people — illustrate the world body’s obsession with the Jewish state.

‘Of course, (Guterres) should resign,’ Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital. ‘Many aspects of the U.N., like the Human Rights Council and UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency), are either antisemitic or give cover for terrorism or both. The behavior of the secretary-general this week was shameful even by the standards of the U.N.’ 

Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, on Tuesday urged Guterres to resign, ripping into the U.N. secretary-general for ostensibly rationalizing Hamas’ murder of 1,400, including Americans, Oct. 7 in Israel. 

Guterres said Hamas’ attacks ‘did not happen in a vacuum,’ and the ‘Palestinian people have been subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation. This is false. It was the opposite,’ Erdan said, describing Guterres’ words as ‘pure blood libel.’

Guterres responded to the criticism against him by noting in a statement outside the U.N. Security Council, ‘I am shocked by the misrepresentations by some of my statements yesterday in the Security Council. As if … as if I was justifying acts of terror by Hamas. This is false. It was the opposite.’

The U.N. has long faced accusations by critics of antisemitism and anti-Israel hatred. 

In 1975, a majority of U.N. member states passed a resolution equating the founding philosophy of the state of Israel — Zionism — with racism. Critics say significant damage has been done by the resolution since, even though member states overturned the antisemitic resolution in 1991. But severe injury had been inflicted on the reputation of the Middle East’s only democratic state, Israel. 

HAMAS LAUNCHES MASSIVE ROCKET BARRAGE AS ISRAEL DELAYS INVASION  

New York’s former Democratic Mayor Ed Koch in 1982 called the world body a ‘cesspool’ for passing an anti-Israel resolution against the Jewish state for annexing the Golan Heights.   

The late Israeli Ambassador to the U.N., Abba Eban, famously quipped, ‘If Algeria introduced a (U.N.) resolution declaring that the earth was flat and that Israel had flattened it, it would pass by a vote of 164 to 13 with 26 abstentions.’ 

Guterres’ move to blame the Jewish state for an alleged ‘occupation’ of the Gaza Strip omitted information regarding Israel’s withdrawal from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip in 2005.  

Erdan condemned Guterres, calling on him to resign. 

‘His statement that ‘the attacks by Hamas did not happen in a vacuum’ expressed an understanding for terrorism and murder,’ Erdan said. ‘It’s really (unfathomable).’ 

A spokesman for the secretary-general sent Fox News Digital a statement defending his speech and rejecting criticism. 

‘Nothing can justify the deliberate killing, injuring and kidnapping of civilians — or the launching of rockets against civilian targets,’ Guterres said in his statement.

‘Indeed, I spoke of the grievances of the Palestinian people, and in doing so, I also clearly stated, and I quote, ‘But the grievances of the Palestinian people cannot justify the appalling attacks by Hamas.’

‘And then I went on with my intervention referring to all my positions on all aspects of the Middle East crisis. I believe it was necessary to set the record straight, especially out of respect to the victims and to their families.’

When asked if Guterres believes the U.N. should sanction Hamas as a terrorist organization, Guterres’ spokesman declined to comment. 

‘The United Nations system — its secretariat from the secretary-general to its high commissioner for human rights, its bodies and agencies from the General Assembly and Human Rights Council to the Security Council — has systematically treated Israel differently than any other state for over half a century,’ Anne Bayefsky, president of Human Rights Voices and director of the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust,  told Fox News Digital. 

‘Discriminated against Israel. Demonized Israel. That demonization is not an abstraction. It’s lethal, as should now be excruciatingly obvious,’ she said.

Bayefsky continued, ‘The U.N. has no definition of terrorism because Islamic states claim targeting the Jewish state and its people is not antisemitism. Last week, Navi Pillay, head of a U.N. Commission of Inquiry, presented a U.N. report condemning Israel that put the word terrorism in quotation marks.’

‘She justified ‘armed struggle’ against Israel and backed the secretary-general’s contextualization — rationalization — of Hamas atrocities. She said, ‘The secretary-general made a correct statement … the attack (of Oct. 7) isn’t an isolated incident. It flows from all these violations on both sides.’ This is the face of modern antisemitism — a straight line from discrimination to death.’

‘This is a familiar circle of terrorists opposed to a Jewish state and steeped in antisemitism, expecting and finding the U.N. has their back. The secretary-general is a man who has smashed any pretense of a U.N. moral compass. He is a disgrace and lost any entitlement to head an organization theoretically dedicated to human rights,’ Bayefsky stated.’

Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the associate dean of the LA-based Simon Wiesenthal Center, told Fox News Digital he met last week with a U.N. diplomat in the secretary-general’s office ‘on all these roiling issues. When I saw the secretary-general’s statement, I was shocked and disappointed. My sense is that many seasoned professionals, journalists and, yes, diplomats just don’t get it.’

He continued, ‘They want to treat this as just another round of violence between Hamas and Israel. It isn’t, and the Jewish people will reject any efforts to do just that. Instead of berating Israel, the secretary-general should be telling the viciously one-sided UNHRC COI to wrap up their inquisition.’ 

The U.N. Human Rights Council commissioned a ‘commission of inquiry’ to investigate mainly Israel’s alleged human rights violations. The COI and its members have been accused of antisemitism by critics.  

Former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley in 2018 pulled the plug on U.S. participation in the U.N. Human Rights Council because of its alleged bias against Israel. She said at the time the council ‘has been a protector of human rights abusers and a cesspool of political bias.’ 

President Biden rejoined the body in 2021.

Haley also denounced the U.N.’s Paris-based UNESCO, which supports various educational and cultural projects around the world and has faced criticism for naming ancient Jewish sites as Palestinian heritage sites and granting full membership to the Palestrian Authority in 2011. 

‘UNESCO is among the most corrupt and politically biased U.N. agencies,’ Haley said after the U.S. announced it would quit the agency in 2017. 

The Biden administration rejoined UNESCO in 2023.

LIVE UPDATES: ISRAEL AT WAR WITH HAMAS  

‘The Jewish people will not be lectured to. They will not allow Hamas to commit more crimes against humanity. The speechwriters and special rapporteurs live in their bubbles. We live in the real world. It’s not 1943, but 2023,’ Cooper said.

The Wiesenthal Center is named after the legendary Nazi hunter, Simon Wiesenthal, who survived the death camps of the Hitler movement. 

Cooper took the U.N. specialized agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, to task for ‘serving as staging areas for weapons and missile launches.’ 

The United Nations Security Council has also faced intense criticism for its efforts to sanction Israel. Germany’s former ambassador, Christoph Heusgen, equated Israel with the terrorist movement Hamas during one session, prompting the Wiesenthal Center to list Heusgen’s remarks as one of the worst outbreaks of antisemitism and anti-Israeli conduct in 2019.  

President Trump’s Middle East envoy, Jason Greenblatt, blasted the UNSC in 2019 for impeding peace between Israel and the Palestinians. He called the conduct of the Security Council ‘the constant drumbeat of tired rhetoric that is designed to prevent progress and bypass direct negotiations. It is time to retire that rhetoric.’ 

On Friday, the United Nations General Assembly failed to condemn Hamas in a non-binding resolution. The Jordanian-sponsored resolution calling for a ‘humanitarian truce,’ sailed through with some 120 nations voting for it. Erdan told delegates the vote ‘will go down in infamy.’

‘We have all witnessed that the U.N. no longer holds even one ounce of legitimacy or relevance,’ Erdan said. ‘This organization was founded in the wake of the Holocaust for the purpose of preventing atrocities, yet the spectacle we just saw proves beyond a doubt that the U.N. is committed, not to preventing, but ensuring, further atrocities.’

On Monday the United Nations Security Council scheduled an emergency session to discuss the initial ground invasion by the Israelis into Gaza. 

The Associated Press and Fox News staff contributed to this report. 

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Turkey is becoming ‘The Squad’ of NATO after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared Israel a war criminal in its fight against Hamas terrorists.

The GOP senator made the comment Saturday in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

‘Seems that Turkey, particularly senior leadership, is setting itself up to be ‘The Squad’ of NATO,’ Graham wrote. ‘Very disappointing and destabilizing.’

‘The Squad’ refers to the informal name of a group of progressive Democrat U.S. House members, including Reps. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jamal Bowman of New York, Cori Bush of Missouri and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts.

Some of these ‘Squad’ members have been openly critical of Israel’s government since Hamas launched its surprise attack on the Jewish State on Oct. 7.

‘As long as our country provides billions in unconditional funding to support the apartheid government, this heartbreaking cycle of violence will continue,’ Tlaib, who has a well-documented history of anti-Israel comments, said in a statement the day after Hamas’ attack began.

Tlaib also continues to doubt the Israeli and U.S. governments’ findings that an airstrike at a hospital in Gaza was the result of a misfired rocket launched from Gaza by the Hamas ally Islamic Jihad that was targeting Israel.

The congresswoman further attempted to discredit the findings, which also determined the explosion was mostly in the parking lot of the hospital and that the death toll is estimated to be much lower than the several hundred Hamas first alleged, because she says the Israeli and U.S. governments have a well-documented history of misleading the public about war crimes.

Graham’s post linked to a Fox News Digital report about the recent comments from Erdogan condemning Israel as a war criminal for its retaliation against Hamas.

‘Israel has been openly committing war crimes for 22 days, but the Western leaders cannot even call on Israel for a ceasefire, let alone react to it,’ Erdogan told a crowd in Istanbul.

‘We will tell the whole world that Israel is a war criminal. We are making preparations for this. We will declare Israel a war criminal,’ the Turkish president added.

Following Erdogan’s comments, Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Eli Cohen said Israel is recalling its diplomats from Turkey so that it can conduct a reevaluation of Israel-Turkey relations.

Turkey had denounced the violence in Israel and condemned the deaths caused by Hamas shortly after the terrorist group began its attack earlier this month. But after Israel’s response, Erdogan shifted his support and started to refer to Hamas terrorists as ‘freedom fighters.’

More than 8,700 people have been killed in Gaza and Israel since Hamas launched its largest attack against Israel in decades on Oct. 7, leading to retaliatory action from Israeli forces. Thousands more have been wounded, and many others have been taken hostage by Hamas and raped, tortured and murdered.

EXCLUSIVE: House Speaker Mike Johnson said President Biden is engaged in an ‘ongoing cover-up’ and has ‘lied repeatedly’ about his involvement in and knowledge of Hunter Biden’s business dealings, while telling Fox News Digital that the impeachment inquiry against him will continue ‘methodically’ and without a ‘predetermined’ outcome.

Johnson, R-La., was elected speaker of the House of Representatives this week. Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., launched the impeachment inquiry against Biden in September.

In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital Friday evening, the speaker said the inquiry will continue under his leadership.

‘We are the rule of law team, and so we have to respect and regard due process and do this in a way that the founders would have intended,’ he said. ‘Impeachment is an awesome power that Congress has, and it is not intended to be, nor should it be, used as a political tool to be wielded lightly.’

Johnson added, ‘We take this very seriously.’

The speaker said House Republicans will continue investigating, ‘collecting evidence and following the truth and that evidence wherever it leads.’

‘We’ve not predetermined the outcome of this. We’ve not pre-judged it,’ he said. ‘But I think everyone can see how it is unfolding,’ he added. 

Johnson, a constitutional lawyer and former member of the House Judiciary Committee and House Committee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, has been involved in the impeachment investigation first-hand.

The inquiry is led by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, and Ways & Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith.

‘They’ve just really done exceptional work uncovering the evidence,’ Johnson said. ‘They’ve done a great job, and they’ve been very methodical here.’

Johnson said impeachment was ‘designed by the framers of the Constitution to be a very careful and sensitive thing that has to be handled legally and appropriately, and that’s what has been done by our chairmen.’ 

Legal experts have been torn on whether Congress can initiate impeachment proceedings for alleged treason, bribery, or high crimes and misdemeanors that transpired before holding the office of the presidency. 

The scope of the impeachment inquiry covers the span the time of Biden’s vice presidency to the present, including his time out of office.

When asked for his theory on the matter, Johnson said: ‘I think I can argue the case that it should extend that far, but I’m not sure that we will have to in this case.’

‘We have an ongoing cover-up of the important facts as Joseph Biden is sitting in the Oval Office,’ Johnson said. ‘We know that he stared right into the camera as the president and lied repeatedly—I mean, multiple times—he lied directly multiple times about his involvement and knowledge of his son’s business dealings. We all know that now.’ 

He added: ‘He is, you know, as the sitting president, he has been involved in covering it up.’

Johnson said he believes there is ‘an overwhelming amount of evidence, and that seems to indicate that he was involved and that they did know about this, and that the family did benefit from it.’ 

‘I think we might be arguing about high crimes and misdemeanors, but I’m not so certain bribery is not involved in some way here, either,’ Johnson said. ‘And of course, bribery is specifically listed in the Constitution, and so we have an obligation to pursue it.’ 

He added, ‘There’s a lot of smoke here, and we’re going to find out very soon how big the fire is.’

Johnson, pointing to the records being collected by House Republicans in the ongoing inquiry, said ‘Bank records don’t lie.’ 

‘We have receipts now, we’re connecting the dots, and I think this will continue in earnest,’ he said.

Comer, R-Ky., has collected bank records belonging to the Biden family, and is continuing to do so. His panel is currently collecting subpoenaed personal and business records belonging to Hunter Biden and James Biden.

Comer so far has said his panel has uncovered that the Biden family and their business associates brought in more than $24 million between 2014 and 2019 by ‘selling Joe Biden as ‘the brand’ around the world.

The White House maintains that President Biden was never in business with his son and had previously insisted he never discussed business with his son or his family. White House officials have blasted the impeachment inquiry against the president as an ‘evidence-free’ political stunt. 

Johnson told Fox News Digital that there are ‘a lot of Americans who are really anxious to have accountability.’

‘But I want to assure everyone that we are working through the process in the appropriate and constitutional manner,’ he said. ‘And I think we’re well-positioned to bring accountability to the American people—they deserve it.’

Meanwhile, Johnson had a ‘pleasant meeting’ with President Biden at the White House this week.

‘He was engaging and personable,’ Johnson said. ‘This is not a personal thing that I have with him. I have to do my job, and he has to do his, and my job is to bring accountability to people, and so, I don’t make any apology for that.’

Johnson was on the impeachment defense team for former President Trump in 2020.

‘I saw firsthand how the Democrats took a sledgehammer to hundreds of years of precedent,’ he said. ‘And we were decrying that all along the way and pointing out that they were opening a Pandora’s box and really just diminishing the institution for, kind of, a political vendetta against President Trump.’

When asked how he would respond to Democrats casting the continued impeachment inquiry against Biden as political, Johnson quoted John Adams.

‘I don’t expect anything different from our colleagues on the other side of the aisle with regard to this but as John Adams said, ‘facts are stubborn things,’ and we are going to present the facts and we’re going to follow the truth,’ Johnson said. ‘And so it doesn’t matter what the mainstream media narrative is or what the Democrats say—we’re going to lay the facts bare for the American people to draw their own conclusions, and I think they’ll draw the right ones.’

As for a timeline, Johnson said he doesn’t have one.

‘And I haven’t prejudged anything,’ he said. ‘If I had, I would be guilty of everything that I’ve pointed out Democrats have done wrong, but I do believe that we’re going to draw a lot of this to conclusion soon.

And I’m anxious to do that because I think the American people are owed that.’

Beyond investigating Biden’s ties to his family’s business dealings, House Republicans are also probing the alleged obstruction of the Justice Department’s years-long federal investigation into Hunter Biden. The allegations stem from IRS whistleblowers who allege politics influenced prosecutorial steps throughout the probe.

The Israeli government is meeting with the families of hostages taken by Hamas.

The members of various Israeli households threatened a protest if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant did not agree to meet with them.

A spokesperson for the families previously said they plan to gather at a central square in Tel Aviv before news broke of a meeting with Netanyahu and Gallant

The families are vigorously calling for a meeting after Israel ramped up attacks on Gaza overnight Friday.

The military’s claim that it is targeting tunnel infrastructure has prompted fear among the families that military leaders are being cavalier with the lives of the hostages, who are believed to be held inside the tunnels.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said there are more than 230 hostages of all ages confirmed to have been taken captive during the October 7 terrorist attack, in which Hamas infiltrated Israel and murdered at least 1,400 people, including at least 310 soldiers.

Israel’s military said that its main objectives in the war are to eliminate Hamas’ military capabilities and rescue the hostages.

UK MINISTER SEES PROGRESS BEING MADE AT UN SECURITY COUNCIL IN TACKLING ISRAEL-HAMAS CRISIS 

A Hamas official said Friday that the Palestinian terrorist group cannot release the hostages it has captured during its war with Israel until a ceasefire deal is reached, a report says. 

The Russian newspaper Kommersant quoted Abu Hamid – a member of a Hamas delegation visiting Moscow – as saying that Hamas needs to locate where Palestinian factions have taken the hostages inside the Gaza Strip, according to Reuters. 

‘They seized dozens of people, most of them civilians, and we need time to find them in the Gaza Strip and then release them,’ Hamid reportedly said, noting that a calm environment was needed in order to do so. 

Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman contributed to this report.

EXCLUSIVE: Conservatives’ trust in new Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., would likely give him enough leeway to avert a government shutdown with a short-term spending bill if one is needed to fund the government past Nov. 17.

Multiple conservatives who opposed ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s 45-day ‘clean’ continuing resolution (CR), which is currently funding the government at fiscal year 2023 levels, have said they would support Johnson in bringing a CR to the floor with certain preconditions. Johnson has come to his role having earned the ‘trust’ that others in leadership lacked with the hardline right, the members told Fox News Digital.

Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., for instance, said ‘it would be hard to get anything as far as a CR’ if anyone else were in Johnson’s place ‘because the conservatives are used to getting basically rolled in all of this.’

‘He just has credibility. We know he means what he says and says what he means,’ Norman told Fox News Digital of the new speaker. ‘He just has got the trust level to be able to do that.’

Johnson was elected unanimously by all present House Republicans earlier this week. 

He pledged to continue the House GOP’s work to pass 12 individual spending bills. But speaking with Sean Hannity on Thursday night, Johnson suggested he’d be open to a CR if needed to avoid a government shutdown next month, but it would have to meet certain conditions.

McCarthy had tried to pass a CR that slashed current government spending levels and would have included portions of House Republicans’ border security bill. But 21 GOP lawmakers voted against that bill in late September, killing it. 

One of those lawmakers was Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., who said he would at least be open to hearing Johnson out.

‘If Speaker Johnson comes to me and explains to me the situation, and I feel comfortable in what he’s saying, then I would never say never on this go-round just because it’s a different situation,’ Burchett said, adding that his ultimate decision would be ‘content-driven.’

Burchett said any CR he’d sign onto needed to show ‘true savings’ and ‘border security.’ He said, ‘The one thing we’re required to do is pass a budget and 12 appropriations bills. And if we can, if you can show me that we’re going to move towards that, then I’m all for it.’

But he suggested that he’d only support it once, warning: ‘I might give him one bite at that apple but there won’t be two shots at that, I can tell you that.’

Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., another of the 21, would not say if he would support a CR with conservative policy points but called on Congress to continue its appropriations work — something Johnson has vowed to do.

‘The House needs to pass the remaining appropriations bills with conservative wins, and we need to have worked with the Senate to conference the bills we’ve already passed.’ Burlison said when asked what a CR would need to have to get his support.

Meanwhile, Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., who voted for the conservative CR but against McCarthy’s 45-day measure, predicted that many of his colleagues on the right would extend goodwill to Johnson.

After noting that he could not speak for all GOP members, Good told Fox News Digital that a short-term spending bill could be acceptable. ‘I think most if not all of our conference will be open to some type of short-term spending bill, if necessary, to complement the efforts to pass the bills that would have some kind of win or wins for the American people,’ Good said.

He said of Johnson: ‘He starts out with bringing a new level of trust that has been lacking in our leadership.’

‘He is a demonstrated conservative who will be a partner in advancing the conservative agenda that almost all Republicans run on,’ Good said.

Newly-minted Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., hinted that the House may change the motion to vacate rule but several of his Republican colleagues aren’t behind the idea.

Johnson mentioned to Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Thursday night that he thinks the House is ‘going to change’ the one-member threshhold to introduce a motion to vacate — the parliamentary mechanism that brought about ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s ouster.

But at least two of Johnson’s House Republican colleagues resist the idea of changing the rule.

Indiana Republican Rep. Jim Banks, who is running for Senate, told Fox News Digital that the House GOP is behind Johnson, but there’s no reason to change the threshhold. 

‘The House Republican conference trusts Mike Johnson and that’s why he received unanimous support on the House Floor,’ Banks said.

‘I don’t see any reason for him to change the rule,’ he continued.

Georgia Republican Rep. Austin Scott — who ran twice for House speaker amid the caucus’ gavel fight — told Fox News Digital that he hoped his colleagues learned a lesson from the eventful past few weeks so a rule change ‘wouldn’t be necessary.’

‘I would hope that the members learned their lesson and changes wouldn’t be necessary, but right now, we don’t have time to deal with rule changes,’ Scott said.

The lawmakers’ comments come after Johnson’s first interview as House speaker with Hannity on Thursday.

Johnson said that the U.S. stands firmly behind Israel, while back at home, lawmakers and the Biden administration alike must find common ground and acknowledge ‘God is not done’ with America yet.

Johnson told ‘Hannity’ the House is primed to proffer a $14.5 billion support bill for Israel, slightly more than what the Louisiana Republican said Israel – via the White House – has asked for.

However, a key difference between the House appropriation and other federal support is that the money will come in exchange for ‘pay-for’s’ in the budget, rather than simply printing the money.

Johnson said the figure is a ‘very specific number tied to very specific measures,’ and that each dollar should be offset by a cut elsewhere.

In terms of potential U.S. military involvement in Israel’s fight for survival against Iran-backed Hamas, Johnson said he is hopeful to avert a boots-on-the-ground situation, but added that during a White House meeting Thursday he reminded President Biden’s staff that they have limited ability to directly respond without congressional approval.

The Founding Fathers, he said, envisioned a ‘multitude of wise counsel’ in such matters, which is why Congress has the power to declare war, not the executive branch.

Johnson added that he previously met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and agreed that while Americans talk of ‘existential threats’ stateside, Israel faces one or more daily.

‘Their neighbors want to eliminate them,’ he said.

‘America will back [Netanyahu] up – they tell us when we’re in Israel the reason we’re able to sustain ourselves and survive is because everybody knows our big ally is America,’ Johnson said.

Fox News Digital’s Charles Creitz contributed reporting.

Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., is confronting Eventbrite for its ‘liberal-progressive agenda to silence and unpublish events that express conservative viewpoints,’ after the event management company pulled tickets to a Riley Gaines speaking tour it claimed did not align with its community guidelines.

In a letter directed to Eventbrite CEO Julia Hartz Friday, Schmitt questioned the ticket-selling platform’s reasoning for removing Gaines’ event from its website.

Schmitt also accused the platform of being hypocritical in its claim Gaines’ event violated ‘community guidelines and terms of service,’ while it continued to promote anti-Israel protests across the country.

‘It is worth noting that while this type of content is being removed from your platform, other events featuring individuals who have expressed deeply antisemitic views comparing Israel to Nazi Germany and others who are prominent supporters of the BDS movement against Israel are allowed to host or speak at events listed on Eventbrite,’ the Republican senator wrote.

While Gaines’ event was removed from Eventbrite, ticket sales for anti-Israel protests remain active, such as ‘Tempest NYC,’ an upcoming event that calls to ‘Stop the Genocide! Free Palestine!’

In seeking further information on the process of removing an event, Schmitt demanded Eventbrite provide ‘a complete list of events that Eventbrite has unpublished for violation of its terms of service and reasoning for unpublishing those events.’

The senator also requested ‘a complete list of organizations who have hosted an event on Eventbrite’s platform.’

Schmitt questioned whether the event management website gives the public the ability to flag events and whether Eventbrite takes those complaints into consideration when choosing to remove events.

Schmitt said ‘one’s right to free speech must be protected.’

‘The free exchange of ideas is the lifeblood of our Constitutional Republic, and one’s right to free speech must be protected,’ the Republican senator said. ‘Whether one disagrees with events listed on your platform or the views of an individual hosting an event on your platform, the ability for Americans — particularly on college campuses — to engage in open dialogue about the issues facing the world today is vital.

‘Eventbrite appears to be selectively applying or hiding behind its community guidelines and terms of service to promote a liberal-progressive agenda to silence and unpublish events that express conservative viewpoints that you may disagree with.’

Schmitt echoed criticism by GOP Texas lawmaker Ted Cruz, who posted on X, formerly known as Twitter: ‘Americans need to stop giving money to woke corporations that hate them. @eventbrite’s idiotic policies allow pro-Hamas rallies but ban people who hold the radical belief that women exist. They should get the FULL Bud Light treatment.’

When Gaines headlined her tour at Penn State earlier this month, it ended in two arrests after protests broke out between attendees and one heckler flipped a table. 

Gaines’ first stop for her November college tour advocating for women’s rights in sports is scheduled for the University of California, Davis. Information about the ‘Protecting Women’s Sports with Riley Gaines’ event was listed on Eventbrite until being pulled Tuesday.

‘By allowing pro-terrorist and antisemitic groups to keep their scheduled events on the Eventbrite platform, but canceling events discussing the importance of ensuring the safety, fairness and equal opportunities for women, Eventbrite has sent a clear message to all. Eventbrite is the epitome of organizations taking a stand against women and our basic human rights,’ Gaines told Fox News Digital after finding out about the event removal.

Gaines previously said in a statement sent to Fox News Digital, ‘If being pro-woman in woman’s sports is deemed anti-trans, then being pro-trans in woman’s sports is inherently anti-woman. And that is the stand Eventbrite has taken. The event at UC Davis is still going to take place next month. My speech will not be stifled.’

According to Eventbrite Trust & Safety, the event violated the company’s ‘community guidelines and terms of service.’

‘We have determined that your event is not permitted on the Eventbrite marketplace as it violates our Community Guidelines and Terms of Service, with which all users agree to comply,’ Eventbrite wrote.

‘Specifically, we do not allow content or events that — through on- or off-platform activity — discriminate against, harass, disparage, threaten, incite violence against, or otherwise target individuals or groups based on their actual or perceived race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, immigration status, gender identity, sexual orientation, veteran status, age, or disability. 

‘As a result, your event has been unpublished. Please be aware that severe or repeated violations of our guidelines may result in the suspension or termination of your Eventbrite account.’

Eventbrite did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment before this story was published.

Fox News’ Chantz Martin contributed to this report.