Senator Cotton’s proposed legislation aims to reduce anti-Israel protests in the US.

Senator Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas, introduced a new legislation that aims to increase the maximum prison sentence for individuals participating in a riot. The bill also imposes a mandatory minimum penalty for those who engage in or support violent acts during a riot.

Known as the “Stop Pro-Terrorist Riots Now Act”, the legislation was prompted by recent pro-Palestinian demonstrations, some of which turned violent following a terrorist attack by Iranian-backed Hamas in southern Israel and subsequent Israeli military actions in the Gaza Strip.

“Radical, pro-Hamas groups committing crimes and inciting violence must face the full consequences of the law,” stated Cotton, a member of the Senate Armed Services, Judiciary, and Intelligence committees. “No one should be allowed to commit violence in support of terrorism. This bill is essential to combat antisemitism and hold these pro-Hamas offenders accountable.”

The bill proposed by Cotton increases the maximum punishment for participation in a riot from five to ten years and establishes a mandatory one-year minimum sentence for individuals involved in or supporting violent acts during a riot.

Cotton’s office emphasizes that violence at such riots is not accidental but rather a defining characteristic of modern leftist ideology.

In previous incidents, six U.S. Capitol Police officers were injured during protests at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C. Additionally, police at the University of California-Berkeley evacuated a private event organized by Jewish student groups due to violent actions by pro-Palestinian demonstrators.