'Stranger Things' star blasts anti-Israel protesters blocking students on campus: 'They should be expelled'
"Stranger Things" actor Brett Gelman criticized university leaders for allowing anti-Israel protests and encampments to take over their college campuses, arguing that the demonstrators received special treatment.
The Jewish actor and comedian, best known for playing the character of Murray Bauman in the Netflix series, said he believed students' freedom of speech should be protected but hate speech and violence should not be tolerated.
"They should be expelled. That's it," he told TMZ on Tuesday.
"If this was against any other people, or they were blocking Black students or gay students or women from entering campus, this would be shut down. This would've been immediately shut down. As it should be," he continued.
Gelman has been outspoken in his defense of Israel and about the backlash and threats he's received for his views since the Oct. 7 terror attacks.
"The fact that Jewish pain is not being recognized by these people — it just shows their cards," he went on to say of anti-Israel protesters.
The actor also questioned why protesters were wearing masks and called out the professional agitators influencing these protests.
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"I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but it seems very strangely coordinated, to a degree. So it's not just about passions about injustices. It's a coordinated movement that we've seen before," Gelman said.
"It's really just a repeat of the 1930s, not allowing Jewish students at universities," he continued.
Gelman's "Stranger Things" co-star Noah Schnapp has also received backlash for his outspoken defense of Israel in its war against Hamas.
In November, he received hate online for posing with stickers that said, "Zionism is Sexy" and "Hamas is Isis."
Earlier this year, Schnapp told his followers that critics have "misconstrued" his beliefs and that he only wishes for peace, safety and security "for all innocent people affected by this conflict."