For anyone alive that day and old enough, it was impossible not to think of May 4th, 1970 at Kent State of Mary Ann Vecchio screaming in horror over the dying body of student Jeffrey Miller. Just as impossible, is not to think of comparisons to today, with former president Donald Trump calling for the murder of college student’s across the country demonstrating over the mass slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza.
Police dressed for combat have for now squashed campus occupations all over the country. These are just a few of dozens of similar links I found on a popular search engine:
Jewish student protesters celebrate Passover Seder in encampments
Biden calls for peace after tense pro-Palestinian demonstrations on college campuses
Biden vs. Trump: What their clashing messages say about 2024 election
More than 2,100 people arrested during pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses
Colbert defends pro-Palestine college campus demonstrators after Trump attack
Police clear pro-Palestinian protesters from Columbia University’s Hamilton Hall
Palestinians in Rafah on US campus protests
Understanding U.S. Policy as the Students Understand it
Put yourself in the shoes of both College students and Palestinian advocates after months of daily massive bombings in Gaza that have killed up to 30,000 Palestinians, half of whom are women and children and most of which are non-combatants. Some students might have relatives, friends or family members in the Palestinian territories or Israel.
As Bad as it Sounds
It’s as bad as it sounds. How could some of their humanitarian angst over this not be directed against companies and governments that provide military weapons used in the mass slaughter of civilians? And how could they not make a connection to the steaming kettle that is U.S. military aid towards the perpetrator of this mass slaughter, the Netanyahu government.
Mostly Peaceful but Militant
I think it’s fair to note that these protest occupations have been mostly peaceful, militant but not violent in most instances. But they have directly and openly challenged a long standing U.S. policy in the Middle East and the Israeli/Palestinian conflict — in a critical election year. This is the main reason for the occupations of campuses developing recently. Second on the list are the long existing police state lock downs of Palestinian society and the total suppression of Palestinian state development.
Highlighted by episodic outbreaks of armed conflict, terrorism and war, none of which were able to resolve matters for the better. In fact, matters have only grown worse over the years, particularly under the ultra right and fascistic policies of Israel’s government headed by Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas, a Palestinian group in bed with Iran, a reactionary religious state. And also at one time, apparently in bed with Netanyahu, who encouraged them to run amuck in Gaza for 14 years, and by some reports, even sending them cash benefits! Ostensibly because they two were opposed to a two state settlement and it could better divide the Palestinians!
Massacres Beget More of the Same
I’m not buying that campus unrest was caused mainly by militant Palestinian agitators sent into the campuses by Hamas, as suggested by Trump and his minions. The U.S. has long supported Israel despite it’s Orwellian policies not just in Gaza by also on the West Bank.
Netanyahu has also carried out widespread bombings in Gaza several times before the depraved Hamas terrorist massacres of Israeli Jews on last October the 7th, just to a lesser but still significant degree. It became clear that the urging of restraint the part of Biden were not going to deter Netanyahu in the massive bombing camaigns he launched last and this year against Gaza’s civilian population.
Biden Speaks
President Biden finally spoke publicly on the campus protests matter. A representative statement of what he said is the following: “ I understand people have strong feelings and deep convictions. In America, we respect the right and protect the right for them to express that. But it doesn't mean anything goes. It needs to be done without violence, without destruction.”
Biden, it should be remembered, is ultimately a politician caught in the middle, having little desire to deviate from long held U.S. policy towards Israel. But in both life and politics, you can’t have things both ways. Whatever he does or does not do, he will be perceived of by some as siding with either Hamas or Netanyahu.
Biden needs to squeeze out a noticeable concession of some sort if he can from Netanyahu, perhaps something involving Rafa which Netty threatens to attack it. I realize the complexity of the situation, particularly with Hamas, but we are not aware of anything being done to curb Netty but words. This is the one issue, I fear, the Republicans might be able to both distract attention from Trump’s imbecility and trials and attack Biden at the same time.
Biden in 2020
It differed from his 2024 statements, despite there being more incidents of violence in 2020 when mostly peaceful protests erupted across the nation by anti-Trump and Black Lives Matter protestors. Biden then made statements such as: "I won't traffic in fear and division. I won't fan the flames of hate," Biden said. "I will seek to heal the racial wounds that have long plagued this country — not use them for political gain."
Trump speaks
As example of the political fall out from these demonstrations, Fox “News” reported that Trump said: ”The Biden protests that are going on are horrible — it is all caused by him because he doesn’t speak — he can’t put two sentences together," Trump said. "He’s got to get out and make a statement because the colleges are being overrun in this country . . . the antisemitism, all of the problems going on, they’re being overrun."
I hate using Fox “News” for any reason, but it does illustrate how Biden can be pulled into a no win situation. It’s important to note that if Biden does not withhold military aid to Israel and endorses the repression of campus protests, he risks losing some of the critical youth vote he needs in November. If he does, he will be bashed as weak, a betrayer of Israel and antisemitic.
But ultimately right is right, and wrong is still wrong. Military aid to Israel has a dark, Orwellian side, which is finally being exposed. It’s currently attached to a fascist leaning government leadership in Israel dedicated to preventing the goal of stated U.S. policy — a two state solution. A type of government Biden is currently fighting against here in America.
How Kent State Relates to Today
The repeated lies and the atrocities of the Vietnam War both aroused and divided a nation, but in the end even many on the right from where I came from rejected its pursuit. The government sponsored murders at Kent and Jackson State, the hundreds of American soldiers dying every week, and most of all, the brave resistance of the Vietnamese themselves, helped determined that.
It must be faced that U.S. policy towards the Middle East and Israel over many decades has led to this day. Our government’s policy was based, in my view, on maintaining the domination/access to Middle East oil. It helped make us a world power. Bolstering Israel as a military ally in the region was seen as a way to help contain resistance to overturning this control. Some of the worst anti semites in America support Israel militarily.
Our policy was hardly based on altruism or a sincere desire to see the plight of European Jews resolved with a country of her own. Creating any new state solely on nationality or religion has its problems. In the case of Palestine and Israel they were never resolved. Add historic antisemitism and anti-Arab sentiments to the problem and you have an even more complicated situation.
Its inaccurate to label Palestinians as anti semites as both they and Jews are considered semites. Although over time they have been exposed to many distortions and stereotypes as erroneously pertains to Jews. And likewise racist stereotypes directed against Palestinians and Arab peoples.
Should Palestinians and their Supporters be Labeled
Antisemitic for Opposing Israeli Policy?
Calling someone an anti semite for protesting the actions of a Jewish defined state is being used to slander the students, demonstrators and any Palestinians that have occupied the campuses. Whether some of them hold stereotyped anti-Jewish biases is indeed possible, just like many other Americans hold these same types of biases. But such prejudices should not be assumed in a blanket judgement. Their demands are political, not antisemitic.
Like the campus protests of 1968, this years protests are emotional, militant ones and seemed to some to come from nowhere. They are extra-legal, just like the ones in 1968. And are being handled in the same way, with massive police repression. Their significance is in their level of militancy and willingness to take risks and be arrested, about 2100 so far.
Jewish Students Among the Campus Protesters
What has not been widely reported are the many Jewish students who have joined, and are part of the campus protests. We have seen charges, especially in right wing media, that the demonstrations are antisemitic in nature. ABC news, however, reported that Jewish students at some university have joined and become part of the protests. They are modestly demanding a ceasefire. They quoted one such student as remarking “We as Jews have this idea of 'Tikkun olam' -- to repair the world . . . . "and that's really a guiding principle for me … recognizing where there is injustice and suffering and working to repair it any way possible."
Passover Seders Held on Campuses
Jewish students at several campuses held “Passover Seders” to mark their support for the protests. Far from being radical extremists in their demands, they have joined other students in demanding a peaceful settlement of the conflict and a cease fire in addition to stopping military aid at this conjunction for Israel. These Jews also put empty seats at their Seders for both the hostages taken by Hamas and for the many Palestinians slaughtered by Netanyahu. There have also been massive protests in Israel for some time against the Netanyahu government, which has gone rogue in Gaza.
There are admittedly splits in the Jewish community, as there are in other communities across America, it should be mentioned. But the thrust of the current campus unrest over military aid to Israel and the mass killing of Palestinians is not antisemitic in nature as is sometimes reported.
It would be a mistake not to recognize the seriousness of this dramatic outbreak of campus unrest over the situation in Gaza and the mass killing of innocent Palestinians by Israel’s government by the tens of thousands, and to dismiss it as the folly of ultra-left antisemitic radicals.
He who remains ignorant of the past is condemned to repeat it.