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By now, we don’t have to define the kind of rampant protests that are unfolding; everyone knows that they are organized as pro-Palestinian protests (and some pro-Israel protests). One of the most notorious protests, Occupy Wall Street, only lasted 59 days. So what continues to fuel the current protests?
Many protestors seem not to know what they are protesting about. They are captivated by the passion, excitement and may be only slightly aware of the anti-Israel and anti-Semitic hatred of the organizers. They are also fed by an anti-American contingent that is angry because of the U.S. support of Israel.
They also have plenty of funding:
The movement overall appears grassroots, with localized efforts that coordinate primarily through social media using apps such as Telegram, X, WhatsApp and Instagram. Other groups have backing from major U.S. foundations. IfNotNow, an organization with the stated aim to ‘end U.S. support for Israel’s apartheid system,’ was awarded $100,000 during the past five years by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, a decades-old philanthropy based in New York. The fund has awarded close to a half-million dollars over the same period to Jewish Voice for Peace, another Palestinian rights organization.
The Open Society Foundation, funded by George Soros, has also contributed to their cause, as has Jewish Voice for Peace, which has organized hundreds of protests across the country.
One non-profit group, Samidoun, has been active in these activities, and champions Palestinian causes:
Samidoun: Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network is an international network of organizers and activists working to build solidarity with Palestinian prisoners in their struggle for freedom. Samidoun developed out of the September-October 2011 hunger strike of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, seeing a need for a dedicated network to support Palestinian prisoners. We work to raise awareness and provide resources about Palestinian political prisoners, their conditions, their demands, and their work for freedom for themselves, their fellow prisoners, and their homeland. We also work to organize campaigns to make political change and advocate for Palestinian prisoners’ rights and freedoms.
Israel declared Samidoun a terrorist organization in 2021. Neither Canada (where Samidoun is registered) nor the U.S. will confirm or deny if they are investigating the organization.
And how are the college and law enforcement authorities responding to the protests? The responses are mixed: some universities have forbidden camping out on common areas; other universities are providing courses online, which is supposed to substitute for actions against the protestors, but only the students are penalized; some have called in law enforcement, but whether being arrested has an impact or not is unclear:
At Yale, police officers arrested about 45 protesters and charged them with misdemeanor trespassing, said Officer Christian Bruckhart, a New Haven police spokesperson. All were being released on promises to appear in court later, he said.
I'm sure the released protestors will keep their promises.
The procedures for other police departments vary, since every community reacts differently to these disturbances. We don’t know if people are actually incarcerated after being arrested.
Protecting free speech is a complicated process:
Federal officials say fine lines separate protected speech, hate speech and incitement. Federal prosecutors can prosecute speech if it rises to the level of clear threats of violence when stated specifically and if violent actions are being planned. Hate speech alone is not enough to deem a person or an organization a terrorist. ‘Unlike many of our foreign partners, the United States, under the First Amendment, cannot designate organizations based solely on hateful speech,’ Vincent Picard, a spokesman for the State Department’s Bureau of Counterterrorism, said by email. ‘The Secretary of State must determine that it is a foreign organization that engages in terrorist activity that threatens the security of United States nationals.’
In addition to the other factors, we can’t ignore the mindset of the protestors in this environment. These are people who may feel like outcasts, who don’t know how to fit into the larger society, and are angry about their perceived exclusion. For those who actually do know the purposes behind the demonstrations, fighting for the underdog feels empowering and righteous. And as mentioned earlier, they hate America.
* * * *
In the short term, pro-Palestinian protests will probably continue, and increase, because there is little to stop them. They are fueled by zealots who have plenty of funding as well. The universities are ambivalent about taking action against them. Jewish students will continue to fear for their lives, and although violence has been limited, the future may be more dangerous as tempers and temperatures rise. The criticism from the federal government has been limited, since Joe Biden would prefer to pander to the radicals.
Will protests intensify? Will violence be added to the profile?
Will anti-Semitic behaviors be empowered in the larger population?
I see no end in sight.
Discussion (76)
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In his 2009 mini-book, Barack Obama’s Rules for Revolution: The Alinsky Model, David Horowitz quoted an SDS radical who wrote, “The issue is never the issue. The issue is always the revolution.” So you’re right, this will never end. We have generations of kids being taught by malcontents to hate capitalism and the U.S. I wonder whether they ever stop to think, “Wow, it’s great to live in a country where we can take down the US flag and hoist the Palestinian flag without ending up in a gulag.” Probably not.
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Thanks, Gene. I suspect there is little self-reflection going on at all. They have so much to appreciate, but none of that matters. Chaos matters.
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The previous comment covers the point I will say more on. Government officials protecting citizens constitutional rights is only one piece. Our academic institutions do not teach American history in the sense of how events happened and what the reactions and results were. Our media also does not favor, explain, and promote free expression. The damage resulting from such omission is great. Some people in other parts of the world have never had a protected right to free expression.
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Indeed. Their idea of free speech only includes speech of which they approve.
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Both @GeneKillian and @BobThompson reflected my immediate reaction to the post. Demonstrations in the 20th Century seemed to be something that either resulted in incremental change to society or simply survived and transcended. But demonstrations in the 21st Century seem to be revolutionary in nature — not seeking adaptation, but “winner take all”.
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