1ºRob McClure The Palestinians are not terrorists, they are occupiers, and they have the right to recover their homeland and lands from colonialism, just as we Algerians were liberated from French colonialism after a century and 30 years, during which France committed the most heinous crimes against our ancestors, but thank God that the Algerian people liberated themselves and fought France, and France killed more than 2 million Algerians in seven years. For years, imagine with me that if Algeria had not been liberated, we would be bombed now like Gaza, and the world would call us terrorists just because we want to liberate our homeland. The real terrorism is the colonizer. European countries are the cause of wars and destruction because they have always wanted to take and colonize other countries.
2ºGil Blum I understand that sometimes the truth hurts. What you call lies, others call freedom. I know that freedom and truth can be painful, but it's human nature to seek truth. Access to truth is now available to everyone through the internet, and everyone can see your crimes clearly. Amnesty International, the International Criminal Court, the United Nations, UNRWA, international relief agencies, and the World Health Organization all bear witness to your crimes, and we also bear witness. What the educated generation is doing is expressing their opinion and demanding an end to the bloodshed, all within the law and peacefully. Yet you label them as terrorists.
3ºAbsolutely no threat exists regarding free speech. It didn't during the Vietnam War and we were conscription g our young college boys to die for senseless war machine and American defense interests. We absolutely permitted free speech on every xampus during those deeply divisive Vietnam years. We don't limit free speech now. ANYWHERE. We are a free speech affirming nation. That means EVERY college campus too. Or we permit our nation to be repressive constrained by WEAK RIGHTS SUPPRESSING LEADERS - WE BECOME A MIRROR TO VLADIMIR PUTINS STATE SANCTIONED SPEECH. We aren't one bit like that - are we? Let free speech never ever ever be limited or banned.
4ºJustin Simmons You can't be saying that with a straight face. Israel has billions of dollars and bombs and jets and tanks from the U.S. Israel has an army. Palestinians are a stateless, captive people with homemade rockets, guns and rocks with which to defend themselves. It's been that uneven for 75 years, by the way. Do you blame the Warsaw Ghetto uprising on the victims of Nazis? Are Palestinians not allowed to defend themselves against 75 years of oppression? Read Israeli historian Ilan Pappe's book, "The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine" for an historical account. And follow Jewish Voice for Peace ; they've been advocating for Palestinian human rights, justice and liberation for years. Breaking the Silence and Rabbis for Human Rights are also helpful.
5ºJanet Moskowitz City University of New York Professor Danny Shaw:
"While the New York Times, the Guardian, BBC and every other mainstream outlet lies about the students’ encampment at #Columbia and make bogus allegations of #antisemitism, here is an example of what is actually happening. Last night, 3 zionist provocateurs snuck into the encampment. The self-organized security team mobilized hundreds of us to lock arms and prevent them from harassing and doxing the Palestinian and anti-zionist Jewish student negotiating team. Hundreds of students and some professors sang “We shall overcome” and “Where you go my friend, where you go I will go. Your people are my people, our struggles align” until the hostile, pro-genocide individuals exited. One of the chants and slogans of the encampment is: “Who keeps us safe? We keep us safe!”
6ºAt the White House, Joe Biden stood by while Alexandria Ocasio Cortez praised the pro-Hamas protests at Yale, Columbia, Berkeley, and elsewhere. Biden then declared he “learned a long time ago to listen to that lady.”
Later, a reporter asked Biden if he condemned the antisemitic protests.
“I condemn the antisemitic protests,” Biden told the reporters. “I also condemn those who don’t understand what’s going on with the Palestinians.”
What?
What a muddied mess. Palestinian students are not being harassed on college campuses. Palestinian professors are not being locked out of campus. Biden met the moment and fell on his face.
7ºYaron Cohen If expressing opinions and demanding an end to bloody wars and the killing of children and women is considered trivial to you, then this is a significant problem. The greatest measure of the sincerity of these protests is the participation of Jews, Christians, Muslims, atheists, and other religious and non-religious groups. It's simply called humanity.
Regarding the war in Syria, Arabs and Muslims objected and used everything in their power to stop the war. The war was actually between Russia and America on Syrian soil; it was a world war, and now it's over, and this war should also end. Ending the war, freeing the prisoners, and holding the criminals accountable are just demands.
8ºIt's important to recognize the significance of peaceful demonstrations as a form of expressing solidarity and raising awareness about global issues. However, tensions and conflicts arising from such protests highlight the need for respectful dialogue and understanding among diverse perspectives. As these demonstrations spread to other colleges, it underscores the interconnected nature of social movements and the impact they can have on broader communities. The incidents of arrests at NYU and Yale serve as reminders of the complexities surrounding freedom of expression and the need for peaceful discourse in addressing sensitive topics. It's essential for institutions like Columbia University and others to foster environments that encourage respectful dialogue, empathy, and constructive engagement among students with differing viewpoints. By promoting open communication and mutual understanding, universities can play a pivotal role in facilitating meaningful conversations and promoting inclusivity on campus.
9ºGil Blum You're saying that whenever evidence is presented against you, you deflect, insult, and blame Iran and hatred of Jews. The United Nations, the International Court of Justice, the World Health Organization, and various relief organizations all accuse you of war crimes, not me or Iran. The international community brands you as terrorists and murderers, surpassing all international laws and agreements, and the global media accuses you of terrorism, killing more journalists than in the past 30 years of various wars. The world sees you as terrorists and criminals, not me. You need to wake up from your dreams; you're supporting terrorism and defending war criminals, making you complicit with them. The world witnesses your crimes, records them, and will study them for future generations. We won't forget or forgive.
10ºSupport for the S. African apartheid government in this country ended with informed, brave and principled college students courting arrest and demanding an end to injustice and oppression.
The apparent and deliberate misinformation campaign by our aipac controlled government and dishonest media in contrast to the live streamed ongoing slaughter and contradictory historical evidence has awoken these young people to the truth about Israel’s brutal 76 year settler colonization, violently escalating occupation and now genocide funded by our tax dollars to the tune of over $150 billion.
This country is finally catching up to the truth. “The Arc of the Moral Universe is Long, But it Bends Toward Justice.” - MLK