As tensions surrounding the Israel-Gaza conflict continue to engulf various parts of the world, universities across the United States have become battlegrounds for pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli demonstrators, resulting in hundreds of arrests and violent clashes. [1]
In one example at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), what began as a peaceful rally for a ceasefire in Gaza, quickly descended into disorder when counter demonstrators breached security barriers, leading to verbal and physical attacks. [1]
Campus police ultimately intervened, but the situation remained unstable as both sides exchanged insults and fought for control. [1]
Mary Osako, UCLA Vice Chancellor for Strategic Communications, said in a statement,
“As an institution of higher education, we stand firmly for the idea that even when we disagree, we must still engage respectfully and recognise one another’s humanity.
“We are dismayed that certain individuals instead chose to jeopardise the physical safety of the community.” [2]
Universities struggling to handle protests
The unrest at UCLA reflects a broader trend across US campuses, with demonstrations spreading elsewhere. [1]
Northeastern, Indiana, and Arizona State universities, in addition to Columbia have all experienced sit-ins. [1]
Across state lines, militarised police forces have been deployed to bring protesters under control, with some resorting to chemical irritants, Tasers, and flashbangs. [3]
In Boston, Massachusetts, about 100 people were detained on 27 April, during the clearance of an encampment at Northeastern University, while similar incidents unfolded at other institutions nationwide. [1]
Northeastern Provost David Madigan and Chancellor Ken Henderson said in a public statement,
“Over the weekend, like many colleges and universities nationwide, Northeastern faced an untenable dilemma.
“While we embrace — and even celebrate — the spirited exchange of divergent views, we must balance that aspiration with our responsibility for the safety and well-being of more than 30,000 people who live, work, and study on our Boston campus.
“We must always be vigilant in maintaining an environment in which those activities can take place without fear of harassment, intimidation, and name-calling.” [4]
Worldwide demands for divestment from Israel
The protests at US universities have quickly reverberated around the globe, inspiring similar demonstrations in Canada, Europe, and Australia. [1]
From McGill University in Montreal to the University of Sydney, students have established protest encampments and demanded divestment from companies that support Israel. [1]
A McGill teaching assistant and student named Zeca Eufemia, who was among the demonstrators, explained her intent,
“I’m here in solidarity with Palestine because I, amongst many students, and people in the community refuse to see our tuition money go to killing children in Gaza.” [5]
Analysis
ANALYSIS
What are the demands?
The demands of students across America, Europe, and elsewhere are quite simple: divest from companies and businesses linked to Israel, as they are profiting off of the war against the people of Gaza.
Most universities have refused to move on this demand, with experts claiming divestment may not have a significant impact on the companies themselves.
Other demands include universities disclosing their investments, severing academic ties with Israeli universities, and publicly supporting a ceasefire in Gaza.
Protest movements at some universities are also calling for school officials to protect free speech and protect students being punished for participating in protests — arguably covered by the First Amendment.
Have leftwing fanatics taken hold of campuses?
There have been many who have said that leftwing fanatics have taken over these protests and are deliberately causing chaos on campus.
However, the fact of the matter is that in the so-called 'land of the free', professors and students have been man-handled, simply because they hold an opinion.
The irony is, Western universities that have been paraded for centuries as bastions of liberal opinion and thought have become arenas of mass suppression by the states themselves!
Western media apparatus have, for decades, been showing protests that have been physically dismantled by authoritarian regimes such as in China, Russia, Iran, and other nations. Such outlets have deemed these actions as undemocratic.
Western nations proudly emulating authoritarian regimes
The scenes across the US, UK, and elsewhere are very much on par with state brutality across the world, those that suppress opinions, especially that of protesting against an undeniable genocide.
It is unfortunately the case that the opinion that Israel is committing a genocide is not the view of Biden and his cronies, of Sunak and his ministers. Therefore, the states are gagging the voice and actions of students for the world to see.
Freedom is a mirage in the West; it sells an idea which is seldom practised unless it agrees with the normative opinion of the governments and capitalists of the day. It was the same with anti-apartheid protests and anti-war movements of the past.
History will judge accordingly that Western governments were complacent in the genocide against Gaza and suppressed even their own people from raising their voices against it.
Source: Islam21c
Notes
