By Shayan Abbasi
In recent weeks, universities across the globe have become hotspots for student protests, from Columbia in New York to the University of California, Los Angeles, and even across the Atlantic in Berlin and Amsterdam. These protests have largely been in response to Israel’s actions in Gaza, which have been a part of a wider Israel-Hamas war that started when the Palestinian political faction Hamas attacked the state of Israel on October 7. This attack was the culmination of a long-time conflict in the region, following the United Nations’ designation of an Israeli state in the Middle East.
695 Israeli civilians have since been confirmed dead as a result of the attack. In response, the government of Israel has since pursued an aggressive foreign policy aimed at diminishing Hamas’s power in the region. However, a large number of civilian casualties, as well as the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, has since occurred with Israeli forces currently descending upon the Palestinian city, Rafah, a city of over 150,000 people. With air strikes on the city tragically killing 45 civilians on May 27, there seems to be potential for further geographical displacement.
In response to Israel’s wider actions during the war, the International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khanfor has since issued an arrest warrant for Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the leaders of Hamas. The Middle East has lately been characterized by chaos, and the conflicts between the states of Israel and Palestine have been a constant factor since the establishment of the Israeli state in 1947.
But, how does this relate to the United States?
We have all seen the news headlines, with university students picketing outside the homes of university trustees, gathering en masse around the student center area or attacking reporters. The protests inherently focus more on the protestors themselves rather than the causes they advocate. When students disrupt campus activities or occupy buildings, the resulting media coverage showcases these highly chaotic activities instead of the issues protestors claim to support.
The approaches that we have seen have been generally peaceful, with most protesters electing in favor of encampments and dialogue. However, the riots we have seen at Columbia University, which have included burning buildings, looting, picketing at faculty houses and targeting Jewish students, are characterized by clear chaos and a careless disregard for the rule of law. Students should protest peacefully, engage faculty in discussions and spread the word through their communities, such as through canvassing.
Universities are meant to be centers of learning and debate, but there is a fine line between supporting a climate of open expression and supporting hateful activities that make other students feel safe. Jewish students across the country have reported feeling fear and unsafe on campus, due to some in the demonstrations repeatedly shouting phrases such as “Death to Israel” and “From the River to the Sea” (a phrase advocating for Palestinian authority over Israeli lands).
At Chapman University, protests held an open dialogue with school faculty and administrators, agreeing to end their campus encampment in return for the creation of the “school’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Department”, focused on advocating for Middle Eastern and North African students. In addition to this, students involved in the Divest movement will work with university faculty to present a pitch to the investment committee of the board.
There is a right way and a wrong way to protest. Looting and rioting is wrong. Peaceful dialogue is right. Exercising freedom of speech is right and a fundamental good.
Free speech is and should undoubtedly remain a protected right within all college campuses, as it is enshrined within our nation’s Bill of Rights as well. Free speech is protected. Making other students feel unsafe and creating an environment unsuitable for learning is not. It is truly a shame that some of the most prestigious institutions of higher education in our country are unable to protect their student body from harm, such as being in the way of tear gas or having access to student areas revoked.
Universities revolve around ensuring education for each student, yet universities have failed to do so. The protests have forced lectures to be canceled, facility access to be blocked and students restricted from campus access. At UCLA, students engaged with riot police, with dozens arrested, tear gas in the air and barricades set in place. This is hardly a suitable environment for education and paints a negative picture of the demonstrations as a whole.
At Columbia University’s graduation, a graduate chose to tear up her diploma, instead of humbly accepting it. Instead of being thankful for the privilege to study at a university costing well over $70,000 annually, being thankful for the country that allows her to protest in such a manner, she elected to tear it up in some impressionable fashion, and no doubt emailed the records office for another copy following the ordeal.
Instead of choosing chaos over order, protestors should choose gratitude over entitlement. Gratitude for the unique opportunity to study in the United States. Gratitude for access to numerous educational resources. Gratitude for an environment that does not infringe upon students’ rights, but rather upholds the right to protest peacefully.
