The True Intent of the Student Protestors
When fraternity brothers at the University of North Carolina formed a protective barrier around Old Glory, preventing anti-Israel protesters from replacing it with the Palestinian banner, they illuminated the true nature of the student revolt that exploded unceremoniously at New York’s Columbia University campus in mid-April.
When the terrorist group Hamas launched a vicious attack on Israel last October, the Jewish state found itself on the uncommon receiving end of global support and sympathy. Iconic landmarks in cities such as Paris, New York, and Sydney were illuminated in blue and white as the world absorbed the horrific nature of events that had transpired. The international community offered their unwavering support to Israel and its people. But it was not to last.
In response to the attack, Israel launched a ferocious military operation aimed at eliminating Hamas once and for all. Subsequently, as the Iran-backed Islamist group released casualty figures that rose and rose, much of the world’s sympathy was averted. Israel faced enormous global protests, the scale of which were unprecedented in many of our lifetimes.
Those who attended marches and rallies in the US and Europe insisted they were incensed at the loss of innocent life at Israel’s hands. But the eagle-eyed amongst us did not fail to notice some glaring inconsistencies. For instance, protests do not arise when the number of deaths from other global conflicts are disclosed. The United Nations estimates that almost a quarter of a million people have lost their lives as a direct result of the civil war raging in Yemen since 2014. This figure is significantly higher than the one provided by Hamas, which claims that just over 30,000 civilians have perished.
The Yemeni civil war began when Houthi forces laid siege to the capital and proclaimed themselves as the governing authority. The conflict rages to this day, and the Houthis, hitherto relatively unheard of in the West, became part of an astonishing London spectacle in January. The British capital has endured weekly pro-Palestinian protests that have several times ground Europe’s largest city to a halt. At one event early this year, demonstrators were heard chanting in favor of the Houthis – even while they were firing missiles at British-owned ships in the Red Sea.
It is worth questioning why pro-Palestinian demonstrators show support for Houthi groups if their foremost concern is the well-being of innocent civilians. Have they considered the number of blameless individuals who have lost their lives as a result of Houthi actions?
The Houthis are a Shia Muslim group backed by Iran and who operate under the slogan, “God is great. Death to America, Death to Israel, a curse upon the Jews, victory to Islam.” The desire for America’s death is commonly expressed across the Middle East, and, crucially, increasingly so inside the United States. It featured on a pamphlet distributed to attendees at a University of Michigan rally in April that read, “Freedom for Palestine means Death to America.”
This may help to explain why demonstrators in various locations, such as New York, California, and Washington, DC, were seen lowering American flags during the April student protests. This act suggests that their intention was not necessarily to show support for Palestinian civilians in peril but rather to express their disdain for the United States and the Western world in general.
The radical left frequently lets slip who it really is, especially to those watching closely. Its enemy is capitalism, democracy, and freedom. Israel is the only democratic nation in the Middle East with a highly developed market-based economy. That’s why it’s the enemy.
Islamist groups across the world murder civilians in vast numbers, but American protestors are silent until they can label Israel the culprit. More than 60,000 Christians have been slaughtered by Islamists in Nigeria since 2000, and yet there is silence on American campuses.
The alliance between radical leftists and Islamist groups is driven by their shared hatred of the West, particularly its capitalist economies. They seek to bring it down and will align themselves with anyone who can aid their cause, irrespective of how much blood may be on their hands.
The student demonstrations may seem like another instance of young people rebelling against their authorities, but it’s important to acknowledge something fundamental. These radical students currently receive unprecedented support from the Democrat establishment, mainstream media, and even the White House.
Radical leftists aspire to open borders, and the White House has provided. They want cultural Marxism in the form of critical race theory and beyond, and that, too, has the Oval Office rubber stamp. Much of the media degrades and gleefully humiliates Donald Trump in ways that would previously have been unthinkable for a former President and current GOP Presidential nominee.
This is not business as usual. The radical left has never enjoyed so much power. This power derives partly from its skill at disguising its intentions behind concern for innocent lives, meaning decent people hesitate to oppose it.
The Stars and Stripes may still be flying over American universities, but if current trends endure and the extreme left continues to achieve unparalleled gains, that flag will need more and more protectors willing to stand guard alongside fraternity brothers in North Carolina and nationwide.
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