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Debates on college campuses over what makes a protest antisemitic

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As the Israel-Hamas conflict continues in Gaza, protests on college campuses across the U.S. are drawing attention. The intentions of the protests have caused national debate, raising questions about antisemitism. Are the pro-Palestinian protests anti-Israel? Are the protests anti-Jew?

Answers vary largely depending on a person’s politics, which is one reason why there is such a divide in Americans’ opinions on what should happen next for the college campus protests.

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There is a wide range of photos and videos online that tell different stories of what the protests look like. Some are of peaceful assemblies. In one video, demonstrators chant “free, free, free Palestine,” standing up for Palestinians who they feel Israel is committing genocide against.

However, there is other content surrounding the protests that have some Jewish students and staff claiming that the protests are not just anti-Israel, but also antisemitic.

There are some images showing students in Hamas headbands and images of students with a “final solution” poster — an expression used by Hitler meaning “exterminate all Jews.”

There are some videos of Jewish students saying they are being blocked by protesters on campus grounds, and there are other videos of sides colliding and interactions intensifying.

Additionally, videos of students using threatening rhetoric have surfaced, leading to student suspensions. In one video, a student can be heard saying, “Why would we want people who are supporters of genocide to live?”

“Be glad, be grateful, that i’m not going out murdering zionists,” the student said.

Another element that makes the rhetoric divisive is that the two sides use the same words and slogans but with different intended meanings.

For example, “from the river to the sea” has become a battlecry for pro-Palestinian protesters who call it a “call for freedom and human rights.” However, it’s origin calls for the abolishment of Israel — an expression some Jews claim targets their lives.

The same applies for the word “intifada.” Pro-Palestinians call it a resistance movement, but history shows previous calls for intifada led to the slaughter of Jewish people.

As unrest fills college campuses, university leadership is left with the question: At what point does pro-Palestinian political speech turn into antisemitic hate speech?

Some responses are being scrutinized.

Emory University in Georgia called for police reinforcement to end a protest; people are now calling for the university president’s resignation.

Democratic state lawmakers in Georgia jointly condemned the decision as “a dangerous escalation to protests which were by all accounts peaceful and nonviolent.”

University presidents who are not taking action are also being called out.

“Unchecked antisemitism has become commonplace on Columbia’s campus,” a political ad from Republican lawmakers said. “The university’s inaction has left Jewish students abandoned.”

At Columbia, the words “Columbia will burn” were written on notices that were sent to encampments alerting them to disperse. An academic building was vandalized and occupied by protesters.

The protests are invoking strong opinions from both political sides, and both prominent Democrats and Republicans have condemned protests that cross the line to antisemitic.

A new Gallup poll shows that immigration is still the top issue heading into the November elections, however another poll shows two in five voters say the Israel-Hamas war is important to their 2024 vote.

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[KARAH RUCKER]

RIGHT NOW –

CAMERAS ACROSS THE U.S. ARE POINTED TOWARD COLLEGE CAMPUSES.

STUDENTS KNOW IT.

THE FLAGS. THE POSTERS. THE GRAFFITI.

ALL FLOWN, HELD, AND WRITTEN WITH INTENT.

IT’S THAT INTENTION –

THAT IS UP FOR SOME SERIOUS NATIONAL DEBATE.

ARE THE PRO-PALESTINIAN PROTESTS ANTI-ISRAEL?

OR ANTI-JEW?

IS THERE A DIFFERENCE?

THE ANSWER? LARGELY DEPENDS ON A PERSON’S POLITICS –

WHICH IS ONE REASON FOR SUCH A DIVIDE IN AMERICANS’ OPINIONS ON WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN NEXT IN THESE COLLEGE CAMPUS PROTESTS. 

TO TELL THE STORY OF WHAT THESE PROTESTS LOOK LIKE  –

THERE’S A WIDE RANGE OF PHOTOS AND VIDEOS ONLINE TO CHOOSE FROM.

THERE’S PHOTOS LIKE THIS.

OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLIES. 

AND VIDEOS LIKE THIS.

OF PEACEFUL DEMONSTRATIONS –

PEOPLE STANDING UP FOR PALESTINIANS WHO **THEY FEEL** ISRAEL IS COMMITTING GENOCIDE AGAINST.

THEN – THERE’S IMAGES LIKE THIS.

A STUDENT IN A HAMAS HEADBAND.

A “FINAL SOLUTION” POSTER – AN EXPRESSION USED BY HITLER MEANING “EXTERMINATE ALL JEWS.”

VIDEOS –

OF JEWISH STUDENTS WHO SAY THEY ARE BEING BLOCKED BY PROTESTERS ON CAMPUS GROUNDS.

INSTANCES WHERE SIDES COLLIDE AND INTERACTIONS INTENSIFY.

THREATENING  RHETORIC – LEADING TO STUDENT SUSPENSIONS.

ITS THESE REPRESENTATIONS THAT HAVE SOME JEWISH STUDENTS AND STAFF SAYING THE PROTESTS – ARE NOT JUST ANTI-ISRAEL –

BUT ANTI-SEMITIC – AND NEED TO BE STOPPED.

ONE OF THE REASONS THE RHETORIC IS SO DIVISIVE –

IS BECAUSE WORDS AND SLOGANS USED BY THE TWO SIDES HAVE DIFFERENT MEANINGS FOR BOTH.

“FROM THE RIVER TO THE SEA” HAS BECOME A BATTLECRY FOR PRO-PALESTINIAN PROTESTERS WHO CALL IT A QUOTE “CALL FOR FREEDOM AND HUMAN RIGHTS.”

BUT IT’S ORIGIN CALLS FOR THE ABOLISHMENT OF ISRAEL – AN EXPRESSION JEWS SAY TARGETS THEIR LIVES.

SAME WITH INTIFADA. PRO-PALESTINIANS CALL IT A RESISTANCE MOVEMENT.

BUT HISTORY SHOWS PREVIOUS CALLS FOR INTIFADA LED TO THE SLAUGHTER OF JEWISH PEOPLE.

AT WHAT POINT DOES PRO-PALESTINIAN POLITICAL SPEECH CROSS THE LINE INTO ANTI-SEMITIC HATE SPEECH?

THAT’S A QUESTION UNIVERSITY LEADERSHIP IS LEFT TO ANSWER AS CIVIL UNREST ENGULFS THEIR CAMPUSES.

BUT ALREADY – SOME RESPONSES – ARE BEING SCRUTINIZED.

A PROTEST AT EMORY UNIVERSITY ENDED WITH REINFORCEMENTS BEING CALLED IN.

DEMOCRATIC STATE LAWMAKERS IN GEORGIA JOINTLY CONDEMNED IT AS “A DANGEROUS ESCALATION TO PROTESTS WHICH WERE BY ALL ACCOUNTS PEACEFUL AND NONVIOLENT.”

AND ON THE OTHER SIDE – **INACTION BY UNIVERSITY PRESIDENTS –

IS BEING SPOTLIGHTED IN POLITICAL ADS BY REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS.

“Unchecked antisemitism has become commonplace on Columbia’s campus. The university’s inaction has left jewish students abandoned.”

THE DIVIDE ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES IS INTENSIFYING.

“NEXT STEPS” FROM UNIVERSITIES ARE BEING MET WITH OPPOSITION.

IN RED INK – THE WORDS “COLUMBIA WILL BURN” WRITTEN ON NOTICES SENT TO ENCAMPMENTS ALERTING THEM TO DISPERSE – BUT IGNORED.

AND AN ACADEMIC BUILDING VANDALIZED AND OCCUPIED BY PROTESTERS.

THE “COLLEGE CAMPUS PROTESTS” ARE INVOKING STRONG OPINIONS FROM BOTH POLITICAL SIDES –

AND BOTH PROMINENT DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS HAVE CONDEMNED PROTESTS THAT CROSS THE LINE TO ANTI-SEMITIC.

ITS CAPTURED THE MEDIA’S ATTENTION –

BUT WILL IT  MAKE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT IN POLLING OF AMERICAN VOTERS?

A NEW GALLUP POLL OUT TODAY SHOWS IMMIGRATION IS STILL THE TOP ISSUE HEADING INTO NOVEMBER.

ANOTHER POLL SHOWS TWO IN FIVE VOTERS SAY THE ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR IS IMPORTANT TO THEIR 2024 VOTE.

THERE’S MORE THAN SIX MONTHS UNTIL ELECTION DAY.

AND A LOT CAN CHANGE HERE – AND OVERSEAS – IN THAT TIME FRAME.