Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin warned that the campus group Students for Justice in Palestine “pose[s] a clear and present threat to Jewish students and the Jewish community in Virginia,” in a statement to Jewish Insider on Tuesday.

The comment from Youngkin, a Republican, follows a police search into the family home of George Mason University SJP leaders, where officers found firearms, scores of ammunition and pro-terror materials, including Hamas and Hezbollah flags and signs that read “death to America” and “death to Jews.”

Youngkin’s comment contrasted with prominent Democrats in the state, who have either remained silent or had muted reactions.

“These blatant and dangerous antisemitic acts pose a clear and present threat to Jewish students and the Jewish community in Virginia,” Youngkin told JI. The governor expressed “grave concerns about the role of organizations like Students for Justice in Palestine on our campuses,” and said he is “grateful for the thorough action by GMU campus police, and for the recent anti-semitism training for law enforcement across the Commonwealth which is critically important for protecting not only Jewish students but also all Virginians.” 

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) told JI that the situation is “a matter for local law enforcement and George Mason University.”

“The incident is very concerning and raises a lot of questions about the search, particularly the discovery of weapons and whether they posed a danger to students and the community,” Kaine said. “I have confidence that the police will get to the bottom of the situation and I will continue to monitor for more developments.” 

A spokesperson for Kaine did not respond to a follow-up question from JI about whether he agrees with Youngkin that SJP poses a threat to Jews in Virginia. 

The police search of the home of the George Mason SJP leaders, sisters Jena and Noor Chanaa, came in response to the group defacing university property in August — reportedly spray painting messages that warned of a “student intifada” and causing thousands of dollars worth of damage. That vandalism is considered a felony in Virginia. 

In November, a county judge granted a warrant, which is under seal until February, allowing police to seize electronics from the Chanaa family home. In addition to weapons and pro-terrorist propaganda, officers found foreign passports in the home. The sisters, one the co-president of SJP, the other a past president — have been barred from George Mason, a public college in Fairfax County, for four years, “with criminal trespass notices,” according to the Intercept. GMU did not respond to requests for comment from JI about the recent police search.

Other Virginia Democrats did not respond to multiple requests for comment from JI about the incident, including Rep. Abigail Spanberger, who is running for governor, and Reps. Don Beyer and Gerry Connolly, as well as Sen. Mark Warner. 

Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, the Republican candidate in the state’s gubernatorial race, also did not respond to request for comment. Rep.-elect Eugene Vindman declined to comment. 

The SJP chapter at GMU said in response to the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel, “We as Students for Justice in Palestine at George Mason call for a free Palestine, from the river to the sea, and support all forms of resistance which helps [sic] the Palestinian people inch closer to that reality. We call on all those who identify as ‘allies’ to the Palestinian liberation movement to take similar action.”

Weeks after the attack, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, a Republican, launched an investigation into the nonprofit American Muslims for Palestine, a group affiliated with SJP. “The Attorney General’s Office has reason to believe that the organization may be soliciting contributions in the Commonwealth without first having registered with the Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services,” Miyares’ office said in a statement at the time. 

The state’s Attorney General office declined to comment on the ongoing investigation into the SJP leaders’ home.