 "Opinion | Dangerous futures: Why students are on warpath in West")
It’s a whirlwind with dangerous portends for everyone, everywhere. The students’ protests in the US have spread not just within the country, but also to Britain, Italy, France and Germany, among others. Politicians from other countries have supported the students, perhaps wanting to avoid a US-like confrontation. Worse, the reaction of the state has been damning, to say the least, with protests in Ohio and Berlin being just a few examples of heavy use of force. Even more dismaying is the protestors in Germany reportedly calling for a Caliphate in Germany. That would be hilarious, if it weren’t so potentially dangerous.
The run-up to the conflagration
The events at Columbia University are a lesson in how not to handle students’ protests. Remember, these started last year in October, with students asking for not just a ceasefire, but for universities to cut off all ties with Israel. Sure, there were heated debates and a lot of shouting. But matters went rapidly downhill with a House hearing on alleged anti-Semitism on the campus, where the faculty admitted to a ‘moral’ crisis, quite in contrast to another antisemitism hearing, when the presidents of Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Pennsylvania were grilled.
Two of those presidents ended up resigning, in part because of that hearing, after a huge public debate. On the very day of her testimony which promised a robust action against ‘anti-Semitism’, Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine with an account on X (formerly Twitter) with over 14,000 followers announced an ‘occupy’ campaign in the centre of the campus to launch the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” demanding “divestment and an end to Columbia’s complicity in genocide.”
Matters were worsened as a prominent Rabbi ‘advised’ Jewish students to stay at home. The next day, the police were called in, and arrested about a hundred-odd protestors, effectively lighting a match to what was till then a peaceful (though noisy) protest. Among those arrested was Isra Hirsi, daughter of Democratic US Rep. Ilhan Omar, a known troublemaker when it comes to Muslim politics. Within days, the protests spread to New York and other cities, and thereafter across much of Europe. In the middle of all this, nobody seemed to remember that Hamas was still holding Jewish hostages.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThe US President called out ‘antisemitism’ and calls for violence, even while allowing the right to peaceful protest. Interestingly, reports suggest that both sides were ‘doxxed’ and harassed. In response, organisers of the protest, Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) and Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine, distanced themselves from non-student protestors who had used inflammatory language, and even held interfaith Passover joint prayers, saying that presenting them as anti-Jewish was a slur.
But this began to rapidly go out of these parameters as more organisations joined in.
Organisations involved
Columbia has a (proud) history of standing against state repression from the 1960s, protesting against the Vietnam War, and divesting from the defence industry. Those are traditions that obviously appeal to students of all faiths. A look at the groups involved, however, shows a slightly different picture.
The organisation CUAD consists of Jews, Muslims and Palestinians, and its website while supporting a Palestine state, incidentally also mentions Kashmir. Then there’s the Columbia chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, a two-decade-old group that spearheads the BDS movement (boycott divestment and sanction) with representation in over a hundred colleges. The BDS movement itself had a fleeting association with Kashmir some years ago, which is available on their website. Then there’s the hijab-wearing Asna Tabassum of Indian origin, a brilliant student who was denied her valedictorian speech due to her pro-Palestinian sympathies, and Nerdeen Kiswani who heads ‘Within our Lifetimes’ with a huge Twitter following, who is accused by Israeli groups of being hugely anti-Semitic.
And then there’s the money
The money however comes from a motley set of organisations. There’s a Westchester People’s Action Coalition Foundation which works for a more equitable world and is fully justified legally in funding such causes, as also the Rockefellers Brothers Fund, a philanthropic organisation which gave some half a million dollars to a Palestinian rights organisation.
Included also is the George Soros Foundation, which also funds the rather controversial Jewish Voice for Peace, which had an event with a Palestinian ‘activist’ Leila Khaled for hijacking planes. It has strong ties with Stand With Kashmir (SWK) while the Soros Foundation backs the Kashmir cause. There is a strong movement against what is seen as Israel cosying up to India, and much of this is seen in various websites that have begun to twin the Palestine and Kashmir cause. The American Muslims for Palestine for instance is relaying news of the 400,000-person march in Washington and has stood against the Citizenship Amendment Act.
All of these organisations seek ‘support’ which indicates their own sources of funding. Reportage also points to a rather shadowy group – based in Canada – called Samidoun which was banned in Germany after it praised the Hamas attack and is labelled a terrorist group by Israel. It has offices in at least 18 countries, and it is also vocal on Indian ‘ colonisation’ of Kashmir, and calling on Toronto to stand up and be counted. However, the point is that this is not about Kashmir but the propensity of some institutions to power up protests when it suits them. The possibility of malign foreign funding remains, since it is actually unnatural for foreign intel agencies not to fish in troubled waters. US officials are worried about the link to terrorist organisations like the Popular Liberation Front for Palestine. That a Hamas fundraiser would join in a protest and push it with all its might is a given. Meanwhile, Chinese media is sympathising with the protestors, which is ironic in spades.
In standing back and considering these protests, some facts stand out. First, there is no doubt that the serious human rights situation in Palestine has inflamed students in a university that is proud of its liberal heritage. But this doesn’t explain the sheer spread of the protests, particularly at a time of election. Second, the hasty pushback (in just two days of protests) from the administration, was goaded in turn by various members of the Congress, and clearly precipitated matters. Third, police action, even in Europe, has been brutal by any standards. The comparison with Indian police action – equipped with nothing much more than lathis – is inescapable. If Delhi had responded thus, the condemnation would have been worldwide.
Fourth, the original agenda of the protestors has been steadily enlarged by a number of organisations and outfits, all of whom also happen to be at one with the Kashmir issue, and at war with India. This is extremely worrisome and could be yet another handle to belabour this government with at a different time. Fifth, there is a wealth of disinformation on social media which is being peddled by all sides, but as of now, it’s the Palestine issue which has got traction, which is unsurprising, given Benjamin Netanyahu’s policy.
Sixth, at this crucial time it’s beginning to tell on US elections, with a huge divide apparent in statements by some Senators including Lindsey Graham that Palestine should simply be ‘levelled’. Another one wants to use nukes. In short, the establishment is on the side of Israel, while the student bodies, and possibly a section of Jews are on the other.
Most worrying for all is the rise of radicalism among the youth across the US and in Europe. The calls for a Caliphate may seem ridiculous, but it is going to inflame the already strengthening far Right and lead to a violent pushback and even stronger immigration controls. Those are not the only ramifications for India. As a sociologist notes, protests, police action and media coverage interact to inflame a situation, with the one using the other for its own purposes.
Politicians now in full campaign mode must take note. These flames of dissent could spread easily eastward. Given India’s noisy social media and television shouting matches, escalation would be a given.
The author is a Director (R&A) at the Centre for Land Warfare. She tweets at @kartha_tara. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views.
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