In the midst of the Israel-Palestine conflict, Americans watch from their TV’s, newspapers, and phones about the horrifying conflict that is currently taking place. How stubbornness and ideals can lead to such barbarism in our very own modern day. It’s no surprise that given America’s support for a band of war criminals that many are outraged at their own country. From spreading the morally reprehensible actions of Israel to filling the streets with chanting and signs, people across the nation do whatever it takes to call for a ceasefire, or at least withdraw support of munitions from Israel.
However, the US government is not the only one investing in Israel.
On April 17th of this year, students of the prestigious Columbia University took to the streets to demand their institution divest from Israeli supporting industries and stocks, defense industries and to publicly disclose their investments. Students set up camp to raise awareness around the university. At the same time, Columbia University President Minouche Shafik held a congressional hearing on antisemitism, which only served to grow the student encampment population.
On the next day, police raided encampment, arresting over 100 students. Columbia University has also suspended these students for 2 weeks. After that, Columbia students lock themselves up in the Hamilton Hall, an academic building. Again, the police were called in to break the barricade and arrest the students inside and over 100 people were arrested.
According to Shafik, the protest "violates all of the new policies, severely disrupts campus life and creates a harassing and intimidating environment for many of our students."
Activist Maryan Alwan at Columbia University, one of the many arrested in the encampment, comments how “this outside agitator narrative has been historically, you know, propagated over and over again, within student movements such as Black Lives Matter as well, in order to delegitimize the movement,” and comparing their movement to that of the Vietnam War protests that were commemorated at Columbia.
But what happened to the First Amendment, our freedom to speech, religious practice, and most relevantly, our freedom to assemble when the university suspended these students for taking a stand? The First Amendment of the US Constitution states that “Congress shall make no law… abridging… the right of the people peaceably to assemble.” However, Columbia University is not the US government, nor is it a public university subject to the First Amendment. Therefore, these universities can discipline students how they see fit regardless of the constitution.
Protests like these are not exclusive to Columbia University. Students of prominent universities around the country have also protested for the divestment of Israel to their universities. At UCLA, encampments of pro-palestine protesters were attacked by counter protesters spraying chemicals and setting off fireworks, as well as directly beating these protesters. This attack left 15 students injured and 1 student hospitalized. There was no response or presence of police officers.
In other universities, officers were direct adversaries to the students. At the City University of New York, police were called to clear their encampment, arresting close to 300 people. Those who were on the site reported police using excessive force, such as being thrown to the ground, or being dragged out of the camp. Some people reportedly left the camp with broken teeth, and others claim that handcuffs and zipties were so tight that their hands turned purple.
The peacefulness of the protests have also been widely argued. Administrators and Jewish groups claim to have seen a sharp rise in antisemitism, especially in the remarks made during the protests. On the other hand, advocates for Palestine have pointed out that many prominent protest leaders are Jewish, and that the violence and aggression reported is not representative of their people.
Right now, over 2100 students were arrested nationwide for the protests.
“Dissent is essential for democracy,” President Joe Biden comments, “But dissent must never lead to disorder.”
On May 3rd, demonstrations have stopped in some universities through striking a deal between protesters and administration, with schools such as Brown, and Northeastern having mellowed their protests. As finals come creeping up, and graduation ceremonies are being prepared this year, students and administrators are both more willing to cooperate in order to lower disruption at their universities. In return, students demand that universities review their investments with Israel, and give students more power in arguing their case. However, no promises to divest funds have been made, as divesting in many universities is a long and hard process, just like a bureaucracy!
Encampments across universities have become a country wide phenomenon in the universities that you guys will be going into. No matter what, the right to freely assemble and demand is an important and powerful right for democracies when all else fails. But also remember that protests are never easy. To the aspiring activists out there, be sure to be firm in what you believe in, and be able to endure the hard cold floor of your tent, the threats of arrests and suspension, and the crushing loneliness of being one of many to speak out for your cause.
Also, hi 6th Period. You guys did the argumentative prompt about free speech zones at university, right?
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31 comments:
I agree that student protestors must be willing to receive serious punishment from their school and from the police as part of their commitment to the cause they are fighting for, but that definitely does not mean that this punishment is justified -- the backlash these protestors receive is very much overblown. It has been shown that the vast majority of student protests currently taking place are nonviolent, as is the case for other peace-driven social movements like Black Lives Matter. But much like the many Black Lives Matter protests that were organized in mid-2020, these protests are spun by media outlets to appear as violent riots, when in fact it is usually police and opposing protestors that create violence through verbal and physical abuse as you mentioned. Therefore, although it is claimed that the protests taking place at Columbia University should be toned down because they are severely disruptive to student life, I would prefer that the school staff take the true word of the students into account before making their judgment in dealing with the protestors.
Police and University administration are responsible for protecting students first amendment rights. On the same note, these organizations are also responsible for protecting other students from harassment, violence, and hate speech. I see no problem in allowing protest in designated areas for only individuals affiliated with the university to attend. The problem is when non-student bad actors enter these protest and these protest extend out their designated boundaries, resulting in academic disruption and property damage. While a less heavy handed approach may be preferred, Columbia and other academic institutions reserve the right to use force (i.e., the police) to remove protesters violating established parameters. Actions taken to disrupt graduation ceremonies and student life by these protestors should not be tolerated. If protestors persist to disrupt the University and the school fails to remove them, students should receive compensation for the almost $90,000 a year in tuition there paying. Overall, illegal protest that result in financial damages and disrupts student lives should be punished through legal action and suspending or expelling students participating.
On this issue, it's crucial to draw the line between protest and hate speech. I think that a lot of these encampments are incredible - most of them demonstrate communal values and respect. There is definitely some hate speech occurring but not nearly to the extent to which the media portrays it. When protestors damage property and actually incite violence, obviously universities have the right to remove them. However, people who just watch nightly news would assume that 90% of these protests are violent when I suspect that the opposite is true.
As a member of the Jewish community, I see a lot of friends and family who immediately assume that these protests are anti-Semitic. While there are anti-Zionist sentiments and certainly some harsh criticisms of the Israeli government, these protests are not inherently anti-Semitic whatsoever. If people on either "side" want any sort of change or mutual understanding, it can't start with moral righteousness or demonization.
This has been an ongoing issue at universities for a while now! It is terrifying to see people fighting for their lives just to get their voices heard and it their messages aren't being listened to or treated with respect. I think there is something to say about how the media portrays these protests and illustrates them as violent. The point of these protests are to send a message that people will pay attention to but it hasn't become violent until police have made it a violent issue. Protests are happening in the first place as a way for students to express their opinions, however, as they turn into students and governments fighting against each other, it just becomes another segment for TV news to cover. I think DJ makes a great point about how students know that there must be a consequence that comes with protesting but it doesn't make the consequence justified. Universities need to do a better job at handling these situations without hurting others in the process.
I commend the students wholeheartedly for their efforts to get their voices heard, and honestly, I resent President Biden's quote about how “dissent must never lead to disorder,” because that statement in particular just reeks of anti-Civil Rights Movement values. This is a similar situation as what occurred during the time of the anti-segregation movements in the 50s and 60s. Martin Luther King Jr. himself sat in a Birmingham Jail cell and penned a letter (which we learned about for the AP exam) about how civil disobedience is an appropriate response to injustice. The students themselves have not been hateful or violent, they've been civilly disobeying. It's the police response that has been all of the above. It is the First Amendment right of the students as citizens of the United States to protest the government's involvement in financially supporting this slaughter, and while dissent at any moment may feel "ill-timed," there really will never be a GOOD time for it, as there is no GOOD time for conflict or war either. There is a war going on in the Middle East right now and the U.S. government has not taken the appropriate stance in situation. Instead of fighting for peace, as the U.S. claims to, they are funding a massacre. Men, women and children are dying by starvation and air strikes in Gaza (which should absolutely not be happening in a developed world), there is a massively horrific humanitarian crisis occurring, and all of this bloodshed has still not brought home the innocent hostages that have been taken (in fact, hostages have been killed in said air strikes). If the U.S. plans to get involved in this war, it can't keep funding this genocide. There has to be a point where Biden says enough is enough, and where the government realizes that all this death and destruction is not even remotely conducive to stopping Hamas, which has only grown stronger since the beginning of the conflict. These students are doing the kind of work that many of us need to find the bravery to do, and I think the universities need to realize that and consciously make an effort to hear them out, instead of using police force and cruel, regressive tactics to shut them down.
I think these peaceful protests on university campuses become worse than just peaceful protests when they disrupt student life and become problematic / very inconvenient. For example, there was this one video circulating online where some protestors were blocking a UCLA student from getting to class because they had occupied a pathway, and physically pushed the student away from trying to get past them. That student pays tuition and is therefore entitled to be able to attend class without anyone stopping them from doing so. Even though said protestors might argue that the student should put the blame on the government supporting Israel, because if it wasn't for them, the protestors wouldn't be blocking campus, that just pisses students off more and makes them less sympathetic to their cause because of the way they're being treated. College students have enough stress to deal with already. Feel free to protest, but don't be disruptive to them.
I personally think these students are amazing and extremely brave. I feel that initially, these encampments started off peaceful, but the authorities responded with a lack of respect--resulting in a more dangerous environment. I think authorities should take the time to actually understand and listen to the simple message students are trying to vocalize--this wouldn't be happening for no reason.
I think its unfair that some students may also receive extreme punishment for simply using their first amendment rights. For example, USC's commencement was cancelled due to these encampments, and its pretty sad to see students who were working hard for 4-years--to not be able to properly walk the stage. It might feel like the covid pandemic all over again, as the class of 2020 couldn't walk due to covid, and now they're graduating college--and still not able to walk.
There is a fine line between protesting within the rights of the First Amendment. From reading this article, it seems like the protests are devolving into more violent and dangerous methods, such as students from UCLA spraying chemicals and setting off fireworks to protest. It reminds me of the Tinker v. Des Moines case, which set the precedent that schools cannot suppress students’ freedom of speech unless proven to disrupt education. Seeing how Columbia kids are barricading themselves in halls and how UCLA protests have harmed multiple students, that certainly can be counted as being disruptive and even dangerous. There is no easy way to deal with these situations; I can only hope the people harmed and injured make a speedy recovery and that this situation doesn’t lead to more chaos.
I was lucky enough to be able to witness an encampment protest at UW, and it was a great experience. The solidarity and idea that there are tons of people who are able to see through the Israeli government's "self defense" is very reaffirming for Palestinian right to self-determination. What I'm about to describe momentarily is an anecdote from my experience at UW, but I suspect it might be similar to other schools as well. There are many allegations regarding students blocking Jewish students from entry purely due to their ethnicity, which I honestly thought was really weird, because a good portion of the protesters are actually Jewish Anti-Zionists (props to them for being able to look past their identity and assess the situation objectively). What I saw at UW was a Zionist who was openly agitating and taunting the crowd in the middle of the encampment, and blocking the pathway. Sure, he wasn't being violent or anything, but it was clear that he was intentionally engaging in anti-protest, and he was promptly asked to leave. What I'm assuming is happening in these other schools is that similar acts of anti-protest or agitation occurs -> they are asked to leave/blocked from entry -> clip taken out of context -> the protesters are antisemitic. Obviously any social movement is going to have charlatans who actually don't believe in the cause and are there to be antisemitic, but that doesn't mean the majority should be disregarded due to the small portion of non-believers. The fact that the police are being brought in to stop the protests is very reminiscent of the Vietnam War protests that occurred at college campuses, so it's quite literally history repeating itself in favor of the oppressors. Hope the violence does stop, but I fully encourage the protests to continue for the sake of the Palestinian people.
Seeing the recurrent pattern of heavy-handed responses to student protests troubles me deeply, as it reflects a disregard for the fundamental rights of those advocating for change. Media portrayal often exacerbates the issue by sensationalizing events and overshadowing the core messages of the protests with narratives of violence. As protests escalate into confrontations with law enforcement, the original purpose of peaceful dissent becomes obscured, perpetuating a cycle of unrest. I resonate with DJ's observation about understanding consequences while questioning their justification, highlighting the need for institutions to adopt a more nuanced approach that balances accountability with the protection of students' rights and well-being. Ultimately, universities must foster environments where students can express their opinions without fear of retribution, prioritizing constructive dialogue and meaningful action to address underlying grievances and effect positive change.
The situation at Columbia University and other campuses reflects the urgency felt by many regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict. It's disheartening to see students being disciplined for exercising their right to protest, especially when their actions are rooted in a call for justice and peace. These events underscore the complexities of balancing academic freedom with institutional policies. As discussions unfold, it's essential for universities to engage with students in meaningful dialogue and address their concerns transparently. The courage of these activists is commendable, and their efforts remind us of the importance of standing firm for what we believe in, even in the face of adversity.
I agree with others that the media portrayal of the protests is very violent and out of hand, as that is what the news wants to cover. Yet, there are many that are very peaceful and express a need for change on what is happening in the world right now. I think the peaceful protests show a great community of students who all are able to work together for a cause. It is really upsetting to watch the police having to get involved, and see this as a complex issue of first amendment rights but also schools trying to keep things safe on campus. It really is a hard situation all around, and is emotional to watch, but we can commend the brave students for getting involved in what they believe in.
Even though Columbia University is a private institution and is not bound by the First Amendment, students and the wider community expect the university to respect and uphold free speech rights similar to those protected by the First Amendment. Some U.S. states have enacted laws that extend First Amendment-like protections to students at private schools. For example, California's Leonard Law specifically requires private educational institutions to uphold the same free speech rights as those protected by the First Amendment. I believe that most private colleges and universities promise freedom of expression and adhere to standards similar to those of public institutions, although they may establish rules that provide certain allowances for religion or culture.
A big issue with the narrative that the media is portraying are "pro-Palestine v counter protesters" when the counter protesters are Pro-Israel. In my opinion, by naming the protestors, the ones who are disrupting and causing tension on university campus as pro-Palestine and not the counter protestors as pro-Israel, it weaponizes against the people fighting for Palestine. The pro-Israel protestors have been a large part of these peaceful protests turning violent, oftentimes instigating the encampments through racism, islamophobia, and physical altercations. Just this past week at the University of Mississippi, pro-Israel protestors surrounded a small pro-Palestine encampment. Caught on video was the pro-Israel protestors berating and harassing, with one university student being racist to a pro-Palestinian black woman by making monkey noises and dancing like a monkey.
I think there's been a lot of good points made about free speech and the rights of the protestors, and there's not much I can add on that front. However, I've been particularly curious about the demands of the protestors, which have largely included for universities to divest in companies with ties to or supporting Israel. I did have a couple of questions regarding this, and I've done a little research on my own, but mainly I was wondering: at least for the purposes of the protestors, (and I don't know exactly which companies Columbia and other universities are involved with) to demand for universities to take more action leveraging their roles/positions as shareholders in these companies towards the protestor's goals? This could fully be a very dumb question but as far as my understanding goes I would assume this might have a larger impact than just divesting -- given how large the endowments of these universities are and how much I'd guess they've invested.
Also, I have seen on the news that many protests end after universities promise to "review" their request, which I'm not sure how serious of a promise that is. Regardless, I do think that in regards to bringing this issue to the forefront of national attention, which is also in part the goal of many protests, that these students have done a good job of doing so.
I think that protesting is certainly a crucial way of trying to change the opinions of others, and as such it is important that these students are allowed to voice their concerns regarding the spending the tution fees that they pay. The current situtation call parallels to Vietnam, in which many college students were protesting the US's involvement in the war. For example, many of the protests are fueled by younger generation pushing to get their point across. However, protestors and authorities must be careful in the way that they interact. As seen throughout history, violence leads to more violence, such as the 1992 LA riots or the Kent State Shootings. I applaud the students for taking action on their first ammendment right, and I hope that further violence does not come out of these protests.
One of the most surprising parts of this post to me was the fact that over 2100 students have already been arrested for the protests, a number that was actually less than what I expected considering Universities such as Columbia or the City University of New York have each arrested more than 200 individuals alone. Additionally, I appreciate how you highlighted the importance of the freedom of assembly as well as demand and freedom of speech overall, no matter what side of the issue you fall on. It seems that universities, which have always been an epi-center for such movements, are abridging such rights for everyone addressing the issue across the entire nation. It is also interesting that Biden did comment on this, as I would expect him to receive back-lash from both sides of the spectrum from doing so, but it seems as if he did so as ambiguously as possible, not supporting or disapproving of the movements.
Protesting our involvement in wars has never been foreign to college campuses (i.e. Kent State Massacre). The West in general has always tried to frame these conflicts in terms of a clear good/evil, but I think it is not at all unexpected for the young generation of every time-period to question these dogmas. Whether with the vietnam war, the invasion of Iraq, or now the war in Israel, it is healthy and necessary to question what exactly the purpose of every life being lost is. The government or authority of one nation murdering the innocent people of another (regardless of the direction of the fire) should never be taken lightly. I find it concerning that many older politicians of the mainstream media seem to think of thousands of death as mere collateral damage, as if they haven't actually taken the time to think about or process what such a large magnitude of death actually is or looks like. Of course people who are younger, on college campuses especially, would be concerened--to an existential degree--with that. Their free speech should obviously be protected, and they should be empathized with before villainized. I don't think protestors should be harassing their fellow students, but as others have mentioned, these protests are for the most part peaceful.
I personally feel that the students who are taking part in these protests are extremely brave and incredibly strong. I feel that actions such as these are necessary to make this issue more of a concern. I realize that it is already a high topic of conversation, but I think that moving forward, we need to start to take more action, rather than sitting and just talking about the issue. I have realized over the past few months how incredibly privileged I am, to be able to go about my day, my biggest concern being a test score, when other children spend every day hoping and praying that they make it to the next day. The absolute horror we are witnessing should be a reminder that even if we are not close enough to help directly, we can still take action from where we are. These student protesters, for example, are not only making this a more prevelant issue, but they are giving hope to the Palestinians who so desperately need it. I've watched videos of people in Palestine saying that they have been able to see the uproar coming from the colleges and from social media, and that this tremendous amount of support gives them hope. I truly think that if anything, that is the very least we can do. I do also feel that more violence (in terms of the actions of the protesters) is not going to solve anything, and those actions can be condemned, but I also think that for the most part, these protests have remained peaceful, and the media is doing what it always does and amplifying the images of more violent protesters to try and make the entire movement look worse. I remember this exact thing happening with the BLM movement. On the news, I'd see so many videos of the protesters breaking into shops/stores, stealing and destroying, and for a while I really thought that that was what the movement stood for. I was shocked to find out that around 95% of BLM protests were completely peaceful, and these acts of violence were outliers in the movement. The media just loved to cover violence because they knew what kind of image it would put out. Overall I know this is a highly complicated issue and there is currently a very big political and societal divide, but I truly hope that there is enough humanity in everyone to realize that the death of innocent civilians is wrong.
Although I do believe that the protesters on college campuses have the right to the freedom of speech protected under the 1st amendment, and I understand how brave these students have been to speak up for what they believe and I applaud them. I had the ability to witness firsthand pro-Palestine protests on both the campuses of Wisconsin and Indiana. On both campuses, the message of ending the war in Gaza became mixed up with antisemitic statements. Some students even began to write and share hate speech toward Jewish students. On Indiana’s campus, I saw pro-Palestine protests threaten Jewish students and protest outside one of the university's Jewish frats. When bystanders spoke up the protests began shouting “fascists'' and other derogatory names at people, before being arrested. I feel like the point of the protests started to sway negatively. Although some are protesting for the right things others are distracting from the true meaning behind the protests. I don't want to overgeneralize and say that all students who were protesting are antisemitic but there were underlying anti-Jewish sentiments. I think you do a good job of explaining the situations on campus as they affect most seniors who are hoping to attend college next year. So… Although I think it is extremely important to be tolerant and accept all opinions and abide by the First Amendment I think it violates privacy and becomes inappropriate when groups of students feel threatened by harassment and abuse on school grounds. And from what I've seen through the media many colleges are doing little to combat this internal and external conflict.
As Abby said, it is courageous for these students to take part in these protests, knowing that their consequences could lead to expulsion or arrest (which was the fate of the many who participated in pro-Palestine demonstrations at Columbia). If the students were content with their university's stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict, then I don't think they would have felt the need to carry out these demonstrations. Furthermore, I am almost certain that before they started to do this, many tried to resolve this more civilly, such as emailing those with more power in the university. However, they resorted to this because their university wasn't listening. Although this topic, the Israel-Palestine conflict, is already widely talked about, these protests bring more necessary attention to the genocide that is occurring in our current world. I have seen many TikToks of those who are currently living this nightmare in Gaza who are incredibly grateful for the demonstrations these brave college students have created. Ultimately, I hope this conflict will end as soon as possible for the sake of those living a nightmare daily.
I personally think that this is a good representation of the recent protests on American campuses in response to the Israel-Palestine conflict, which is highlighting the bravery of the student activists and the challenges they are facing. i think it demonstrates the consequences that protesters are often endured for speaking out. while the resilience of the activist is inspiring it could also be seen as troubling to see the resistance and the violence they are encountering. overall i think that this is serving as a call to action for justice and unity, urging others to stand with those who are protesting in the face of injustice.
According to a CNN article, arts and sciences faculty at Columbia University recently passed a vote of no confidence in Minouche Shafik, Columbia's president, regarding her handling of the pro-Palestine demonstrations (a vote of no confidence is an expression from a legislature that a person is no longer fit to occupy an office). Many faculty criticized her leadership as damaging "academic freedom" and "the right to peacefully assemble." Based on how these criticisms were phrased, it seems the faculty doesn't approve of Shafik removing/stopping demonstrations and allowing NYPD to enter the pro-Palestinian encampment. I've heard similar sentiments shared by Democrat politicians such as AOC. Ironically, I also remember recently reading other articles where conservative politicians and celebrities such as Representative Mike Johnson criticized Shafik for allowing the protests and thereby permitting "chaos" and "anti-Semitism." I think the many different viewpoints on Shafik's actions emphasize how difficult it can be to balance freedom of expression and assembly with peace and order. It also seems that these viewpoints are significantly influenced by ideological preferences.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/16/us/university-of-washington-protests-antisemitic-graffiti/index.html
https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/25/business/minouche-shafik-columbia-president/index.html
Divesting from companies involved in the Israel-Palestine conflict mirrors historical divestment movements, such as those against apartheid South Africa in the 1980s, which successfully pressured institutions to withdraw investments from companies operating in South Africa. I think balancing the right to protest with the need to maintain a safe and inclusive environment for all students is a complex challenge for university administrators. I think it's best to address these concerns directly involving diverse student groups and using transparent decision-making processes.
Yeah I feel that peaceful protests always best convey what the protestors want and most of the times peaceful protests work, as seen in the civil rights movement. Where in MLK's Letter of Birmingham Jail he constituted a defense of nonviolent protest, assuring that they will best help convey their message. In regards to Pro Palestine conflicts the peaceful demonstrations always find more people joining in and also, peaceful protests are always the best way to protest what you want. But, when protests turn violent the media especially always paints a bad picture of the protestors. And often times violent protests take the publicity away from Palestine and shine it on the violent protests. At the same time, I think that it is really inspiring seeing people my age fight for such a big cause while being aware of the consequences.
Personally I'm quite impressed with the recent growth in student protests against the Israel-Palestine conflict (or more accurately, a very bitter and one-sided conflict) and the U.S.'s role in it. Universities are commonly associated with being hubs of activism (think back to student protests during the Vietnam War + anti-apartheid movements in the 80s, as mentioned by some students in the comment section) and I think it's great that students are using that opportunity to protest and be heard. As far as I've seen (or perhaps due to naivete), these demonstrations have been peaceful in spite of hostile and violent backlash being directed towards them by Zionist groups (especially at UCLA), which makes me further respect these students for their bravery in partaking in such actions. I do agree with Biden's statement regarding being cautious about dissent, as it could lead to additional problems aside from the numerous arrests and accounts of police brutality being observed so far, such as escalated retaliatory violence reminiscent to that of southern white reactions to demonstrations during the Civil Rights era and other instances of reactionary violence observed throughout history.
These college protests are not new to the history of turmoil on US soil and abroad, and I feel that living through these events are both disturbing and something I and many others can learn from. In the 70s, there were protests on both the Vietnam war and apartheid in South Africa. Just like the protests today, there were thousands of students all throughout the country participating in encampments, demanding divestments from apartheid (now Israeli-military) practices. It's definitely surreal to see these protests go down, but I feel that it is important to remind myself that these protests are not something new; college campuses and the students within them have always been the forefront of change. On one side, simply being peaceful/ compliant has never been the way to actualize change, historically, that's just not how it works. However,I think that there is a level of disobedience that not going towards the cause of making a point to divest from Israeli-military practices, but is just simply wrong. This includes discriminatory hate speech, barring people based on ethnicity and religion into certain establishments, etc. Protests and disobedience are needed for action, but there is a difference between disobeying authority figures and participating in hateful actions for no just cause.
After seeing so many videos of the extreme measures police have taken against the protestors, I think there's definitely room to explore not only violations of First Amendment rights to free speech but also Fourth Amendment protections against unlawful seizure: peaceful protests-- peaceful encampments-- are not, as far as I'm aware, a crime. Arrests, firing rubber bullets, injuring students... it seems like a bit of an absurd response to young adults expressing political dissent. But if anything, calling on police and taking administrative efforts to hinder the protests have only publicized their efforts.
That being said, to echo Leo's point, it is important to acknowledge that to some extent, this is a complex issue, and hate speech can be a part of some protests, therefore protecting students' freedom of speech while ensuring that all students feel physically and socially safe on college campuses is important as well.
I completely agree with Nathan's take on the matter. Reminiscent of the potent student activity seen during the Vietnam War and anti-apartheid campaigns, the recent upsurge in student protests against the Israel-Palestine conflict and the U.S.'s involvement is astounding. Seeing kids take advantage of the chance to speak up and defend their opinions is encouraging. The fortitude and tenacity of these students is evident in the fact that these rallies have remained mainly peaceful in the face of intense hostility and violence, especially from Zionist organizations at universities like UCLA. Though it makes sense for Biden to be wary of dissent, we must not stop appreciating and supporting these kids for their courage and dedication to justice. Their efforts must be supported since their deeds are in line with the principles of earlier civil rights campaigns.
No matter the topic, I support people's right to protest for their ideas, and I agree with Grace that physically harming students when they protest is unacceptable. I understand that the protest creates chaos in universities, but I think the point of protest is to create disorder in order to personally impact people who brush off the issue because they are not personally impacted. I think protesting becomes a problem when it is not peaceful and when it disrupts the quality of the education in universities, which took place in Colombia University when their graduation ceremony was threatened by the presence of the protests. Universities need to continue being a place of free discussion about topics, which I believe is why encouraging protests is important, but I also worry that the quality of life decreases when the protests are too intense and cause disorder in the university. I'm happy to see greater political participation by students, however, in colleges because we previously learned that younger people tend to participate less in politics, but college students are seen actively participation to stand up for their ideas on American foreign policy.
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