WASHINGTON

US House Speaker Mike Johnson called on Columbia University President Minouche Shafik to resign over her handling of Gaza student protests as he visited its campus visit on Wednesday, saying she should step down if she cannot swiftly restore order. 

"I'm here today joining my colleagues in calling on President Shafik to resign if she cannot immediately bring order to this chaos," Johnson said alongside other US lawmakers.

"As speaker of the House, I am committing today that Congress will not be silent as Jewish students are expected to run for their lives and stay home from their classes, hiding in fear," he said.

During a radio interview ahead of his visit, Johnson described Shafik as a "very weak" and "inept leader."

Student-led protests demanding universities condemn Israel's war on Gaza and divest from Israeli firms continued to spread on Wednesday with new encampments being erected in the face of law enforcement crackdowns.

Last week’s decision by Shafik to ask the New York Police Department to arrest dozens of protesters has largely served as a flashpoint for the wider protest movement.

Protests have been reported at a wide array of campuses including California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt; Yale University; the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities; Swarthmore College and the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania; the University of Rochester in New York; the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Tufts University and Emerson College in Massachusetts, and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.