As campus tensions escalate over student encampments to protest the war in Gaza — with canceled classes, violent clashes and mass arrests in recent days — Republican leaders in the California Legislature are calling for the state to use its upcoming budget process to punish demonstrators who they say have gone too far. Senate Republican Leader Brian Jones of San Diego and Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher of Chico announced Thursday that they would push to strip state financial aid from protesters found to have committed violent or criminal acts or violated other students’ rights.
