A
Year into the Israel-Hamas War, Students Say a Chill on Free Speech Has Reached
College Classrooms (Connecting the Dots: George
Washington University, Palestine
(Hamas), The United Nations, The U.S. Education Department & Soros Funding,
All Networking)
Newsmax
Sunday,
06 October 2024 12:13 PM EDT
https://www.newsmax.com/world/globaltalk/gaza-israel-palestinians-campus-protest-anniversary/2024/10/06/id/1183018/
As
a junior at George Washington University, Ty Lindia meets new students
every day. But with the shadow of the Israel-Hamas war hanging over the
Washington, D.C., campus, where everyone has a political opinion, each new
encounter is fraught.
“This
idea that I might say the wrong thing kind of scares me,” said Lindia, who
studies political science. “You have to tiptoe around politics until one person
says something that signifies they lean a certain way on the issue.”
He
has seen friendships — including some of his own — end over views about the
war. In public, he keeps his stance to himself for fear that future employers
could hold it against him.
“Before
Oct. 7, there wasn’t really a big fear,” said Lindia, of Morristown, New
Jersey.
A
year after Hamas’
attack in southern Israel, some students say they are reluctant to speak out
because it could pit them against their peers, professors or even potential
employers. Social bubbles have cemented along the divisions of the war. New
protest rules on many campuses raise the risk of suspension or expulsion.
Tensions
over the conflict burst wide open last year amid emotional demonstrations in
the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attack. In the spring, a wave of pro-Palestinian tent encampments
led to some 3,200 arrests.
The
atmosphere on U.S. campuses has calmed since those protests, yet lingering
unease remains.
In
a recent class discussion on gender and the military at Indiana University,
sophomore Mikayla Kaplan said she thought about mentioning her female friends
who serve in the Israeli military. But in a room full of politically
progressive classmates, she decided to stay quiet.
“In
the back of my head, I’m always thinking about things that I should or
shouldn’t say,” Kaplan said.
Kaplan,
who proudly wears a Star of David necklace, said that before college she had
many friends of different faiths, but after Oct. 7, almost all of her friends
are Jewish.
The
war began when Hamas-led fighters killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians,
in the Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel. They abducted another 250 people and
are still holding about 100 hostages. Israel’s campaign in Gaza has killed at
least 41,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
At
the University of Connecticut, some students said the conflict doesn’t come up
as much in classes. Ahmad Zoghol, an engineering student, said it remains a
tense issue and he has heard of potential employers scrutinizing political
statements students make in college.
“There’s
definitely that concern for a lot of people, including myself, that if we speak
about it there’s going to be some sort of repercussion,” he said.
Compared
with the much larger campus protests of the Vietnam War era, when few students
openly supported the war, campuses today appear more divided, said Mark Yudof,
a former president of the University of California system. For many, the issues
are more personal.
“The
faculty are at odds with each other. The student body is at odds with each
other. There’s a war of ideologies going on,” he said.
Some
universities are trying to bridge the divide with campus events on civil
discourse, sometimes inviting Palestinian and Jewish speakers to share the
stage. At Harvard University in Massachusetts, a recent survey found that many
students and professors are reluctant to share views in the classroom. A panel
suggested solutions including “classroom confidentiality” and teaching on
constructive disagreement.
Meanwhile,
many campuses are adding policies that clamp down on protests, often banning
encampments and limiting demonstrations to certain hours or locations.
At
Indiana University, a new policy forbids “expressive activity” after 11 p.m,
among other restrictions. Doctoral student Bryce Greene, who helped lead a
pro-Palestinian encampment last semester, said he was threatened with
suspension after organizing an 11:30 p.m. vigil.
That's
a startling contrast to past protests on campus, including a 2019 climate
demonstration that drew hundreds of students without university interference,
he said.
“There’s
definitely a chilling effect that occurs when speech is being restricted in
this manner,” said Greene, who is part of a lawsuit challenging the new policy.
“This is just one way for them to restrict people from speaking out for
Palestine.”
The
tense atmosphere has led some faculty members to rethink teaching certain
subjects or entering certain debates, said Risa Lieberwitz, general counsel for
the American Association of University Professors.
Lieberwitz,
who teaches labor law at Cornell University, has been alarmed by the growing
number of colleges requiring students to register demonstrations days in
advance.
“It’s
so contradictory to the notion of how protests and demonstrations take place,”
she said. “They’re oftentimes spontaneous. They’re not planned in the way that
events are generally planned.”
Protests
have continued on many campuses, but on a smaller scale and often under the
confines of new rules.
At
Wesleyan University in Connecticut, police last month handcuffed
pro-Palestinian students participating in a sit-in at a campus building before
they agreed to leave. Wesleyan President Michael Roth said he supports
students' free speech rights, but they “don’t have a right to take over part of
a building.”
Wesleyan
is offering new courses on civil disagreement this year, and faculty are
working to help foster discussion among students.
“It's
challenging for students, as it is for adults — most adults don’t have
conversations with people who disagree with them,” Roth said. “We’re so
segregated into our bubbles.”
American
universities pride themselves as being places of open discourse where students
can engage across their differences. Since Oct. 7, they have been under
tremendous pressure to uphold free speech while also protecting students from
discrimination.
The
U.S. Education Department is investigating
more than 70 colleges for reports of antisemitism or Islamophobia. Leaders of
several prestigious colleges have been called before Congress by Republicans
who accuse them of being soft on antisemitism.
Yet
finding the line where protected speech ends is as hard as ever. Leaders
grapple with whether to allow chants seen by some as calls of support for
Palestinians and by others as a threat against Jews. It's especially
complicated at public universities, which are bound by the First Amendment,
while private colleges have flexibility to impose wider speech limits.
At
George Washington University, Lindia said the war comes up often in his classes
but sometimes after a warming-up period — in one class, discussion loosened
after the professor realized most students shared similar views. Even walking
to class, there is a visible reminder of the tension. Tall fencing now
surrounds University Yard, the grassy space where police broke up a tent
encampment in May.
“It’s
a place for free expression, and now it’s just completely blocked off,” he
said.
Some
students say moderate voices are getting lost.
Nivriti
Agaram, a junior at George Washington, said she believes Israel has a right to
defend itself but questions America’s spending on the war. That opinion puts
her at odds with more liberal students, who have called her a “genocide
enabler” and worse, she said.
“It’s
very stifling," she said. “I think there’s a silent majority who aren’t
speaking.”
Connecting
the Dots:
George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to
Promote Open Society.
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Roosevelt Institute.
Allida M. Black is
a governor for the Roosevelt Institute and was a historian &
editor of Roosevelt papers for George Washington University.
Peter B. Kovler is a trustee
at George Washington University and a director at the Truman
National Security Project.
Ronald A. Klain is
a director at the Truman National Security
Project and the White House chief of staff for the Joseph R.
Biden Jr administration.
R. Hunter Biden is a
director at the Truman National Security Project and Joseph
R. Biden Jr’s son.
Kamala D. Harris is
an advisory board member for the Truman National Security Project
and the vice president for the Joe Biden administration.
Patrick J. Murphy is
an advisory board member for the Truman National Security Project
and a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress.
Madeleine
K. Albright was an advisory board member for the Truman
National Security Project, a director at the Center for American
Progress and a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).
Open Society Foundations was a funder for
the Center for American Progress.
George Soros is the founder
& chairman for the Open Society Foundations, was a supporter
for the Center for American Progress and was the chairman for
the Foundation to Promote Open Society.
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder
for the Center for American Progress and the Aspen
Institute (think tank).
Shirley M.
Hufstedler was the secretary for the U.S. Department of
Education and a lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute (think
tank).
Joyce Foundation was
a funder for the Aspen Institute (think tank) and Achieve Inc.
Achieve Inc. helped
develop the Common Core educational standards.
Michael Cohen is
the president of Achieve Inc. and was an assistant secretary for
the U.S. Department of Education.
James Cole Jr. is
the general counsel for the U.S. Department of Education and
was a director at the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund.
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for
the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund.
George Soros was the chairman
for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.
Eric H. Holder Jr. was
an intern at the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, the
attorney general at the U.S. Department of Justice for
the Barack Obama administration, a trustee at George
Washington University and is a partner at Covington & Burling
LLP.
Anthony D. Weiner was
a consultant at Covington & Burling LLP, is married to Huma
Abedin and an advisory board member for the MWW Group.
MWW Group was
a funder for the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation.
Michael Kempner is
the president & CEO for the MWW Group and was a funder for
the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation.
Open Society Foundations was a funder for
the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation.
George Soros is the founder
& chairman for the Open Society Foundations.
Huma Abedin was
a consultant for the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation,
the senior adviser to secretary for the U.S. Department of State, a
consultant for Teneo Holdings LLC, went to George Washington
University, is the vice chairman for the 2016 Hillary Rodham
Clinton presidential campaign and married to Anthony D. Weiner.
Teneo Holdings
LLC was a MF Global Holdings Ltd client.
Soros Fund Management was the buyer of
assets, post-bankruptcy for MF Global Holdings Ltd.
George Soros is the founder of
the Soros Fund Management, the founder & chairman for the Open
Society Foundations and a co-chair, national finance council for the Ready
PAC (Ready For Hillary).
Open Society Foundations was a funder for
the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation.
Hillary Rodham
Clinton was a director at the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea
Clinton Foundation and is the candidate for the 2016 Hillary Rodham
Clinton presidential campaign.
Ready PAC (Ready
For Hillary) supported the 2016 Hillary Rodham Clinton
presidential campaign.
Allida M. Black is
a co-founder for the Ready PAC (Ready For Hillary), a governor for
the Roosevelt Institute, and was a historian & editor of
Roosevelt papers for George Washington University.
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Roosevelt Institute
and the Brookings Institution (think tank).
George Soros was the chairman
for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.
Susan E. Rice was a senior
fellow at the Brookings Institution (think
tank), the White House national security adviser for the Barack
Obama administration and the United Nations U.S.
ambassador for the Barack Obama administration.
Donald F. McHenry is an
honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and
was a U.S.
ambassador for the United Nations.
Joan
E. Spero was an honorary trustee at the Brookings
Institution (think tank) and a U.S ambassador for economic &
social affairs for the United Nations.
Palestine (Hamas)
is a member of the United Nations.
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder
for the Brookings Institution (think tank) and the Aspen Institute
(think tank).
George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation
to Promote Open Society.
Shirley M.
Hufstedler was a lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute
(think tank) and the secretary for the U.S. Department of Education.
Yo-Yo Ma is an
artist in residence at the Aspen Institute (think tank) and a
messenger of peace for the United Nations.
Thomas R.
Pickering was a lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute (think
tank) and a U.S. ambassador for the United Nations.
Hisashi Owada was
a lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank) and a
Japanese representative for the United Nations.
Olara A. Otunnu is
a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank) and the
undersecretary general for the United Nations.
Madeleine
K. Albright was a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), a
director at the Center for American Progress and an advisory board
member for the Truman National Security Project.
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the
Aspen Institute (think tank) and
the Center
for American Progress.
George Soros was the chairman
for the Foundation to Promote Open Society, a supporter for
the Center for American Progress and is the founder & chairman
for the Open Society Foundations,
Open Society Foundations was a funder for
the Center for American Progress.
Patrick J. Murphy is
a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and an advisory
board member for the Truman National Security Project.
Kamala D. Harris is
an advisory board member for the Truman National Security Project
and the vice president for the Joe Biden administration.
R. Hunter Biden is
a director at the Truman National Security Project and Joseph
R. Biden Jr’s son.
Ronald A. Klain is
a director at the Truman National Security Project and the White
House chief of staff for the Joseph R. Biden Jr administration.
Peter B. Kovler is
a director at the Truman National Security Project and a trustee
at George Washington University.
Allida M. Black
was a historian & editor of Roosevelt papers for George Washington
University and is a governor for the Roosevelt Institute.
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Roosevelt
Institute.
George Soros was the chairman
for the Foundation to Promote Open Society and is Jonathan Soros’s
son.
Jonathan Soros is George
Soros’s son and a senior fellow at the Roosevelt Institute.
Jeh Charles
Johnson was a governor for the Roosevelt Institute and
is the secretary for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is a division of
the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
U.S. Secret
Service is a division of the U.S. Department of Homeland
Security.
U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services is a division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Alejandro N. Mayorkas is the
secretary for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for
the Joe Biden Administration and was an attorney at O'Melveny
& Myers LLP.
Thomas E. Donilon was a
partner at O'Melveny & Myers LLP the White House deputy
national security adviser for the Barack Obama administration and
a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).
Arthur B. Culvahouse Jr. is a partner
at O'Melveny & Myers LLP and a trustee at the Brookings
Institution (think tank).
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think
tank).
George Soros was
the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.
Susan E. Rice was a senior
fellow at the Brookings Institution (think tank), the White House
national security adviser for the Barack Obama administration and
the United Nations U.S. ambassador for the Barack
Obama administration.
Donald F. McHenry is an
honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and
was a U.S.
ambassador for the United Nations.
Joan
E. Spero was an honorary trustee at the Brookings
Institution (think tank) and a U.S ambassador for economic &
social affairs for the United Nations.
Palestine (Hamas)
is a member of the United Nations.
Resources:
Past Research
Huma
Abedin’s College Friend Was In Benghazi The Night Of The Embassy Attack (Past Research on Anthony Weiner & Huma Abedin)
Thursday,
June 30, 2016
https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2016/06/huma-abedins-college-friend-was-in.html
Soros'
Son Engaged to Huma Abedin, Ex-Clinton Aide (Huma
Abedin is engaged to George Soros’s son Alexander Soros and the chairman of the
Open Society Foundations)
Newsmax
By
Lee Barney | Thursday, 11 July 2024 12:34 PM EDT
https://www.newsmax.com/finance/streettalk/alexander-soros-huma-abedin-engaged/2024/07/11/id/1172108/
Report:
Hunter Biden Has Joined Dad's WH Meetings (Connecting the Dots: Hunter Biden,
Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, The Truman National Security Project, The Whitehouse
Project, Smithsonian Institution, Russia, China, Ukraine & Soros Funding,
All Networking) (Past Research on Hunter Biden,
Kamala Harris and the Truman National Security Project)
Thursday,
July 4, 2024
https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2024/07/report-hunter-biden-has-joined-dads-wh.html
SCHOOL
BOARD CALLED OUT - ABSOLUTE PROOF - THEY ARE DOING IT FOR THE MONEY (Past
Research on the U.S. Department of Education and
the Chicago (IL) Board of Education) (Past Research
on the U.S. Department of Education)
Sunday,
September 26, 2021
https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2021/09/school-board-called-out-absolute-proof_26.html
Madeleine
Albright, 1st Female US Secretary of State, Dies at 84 (Connecting Her Dots In
The Soros Network) (Past Research on Madeleine
Albright)
Thursday,
March 24, 2022
https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2022/03/madeleine-albright-1st-female-us.html
THE
NEW WORLD DISORDER (Connecting the Dots: The United Nations & Soros
Funding, All Networking) (Past Research on the United
Nations)
Monday,
June 26, 2023
https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2023/06/the-new-world-disorder-connecting-dots.html
MSNBC
Airs Palestinian Jihad Propaganda Map (Past Research
on Palestine (Hamas))
Tuesday,
October 20, 2015
https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2015/10/msnbc-airs-palestinian-jihad-propaganda.html
Trump
Camp: FEMA's Broke Due to Harris Migrant Freebies (Connecting the Dots: FEMA,
Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, U.S. Secret Service, BlueGreen Alliance,
American Red Cross & Soros Funding, All Networking) (Past Research on the U.S. Department of Homeland
Security)
Friday,
October 4, 2024
https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2024/10/trump-camp-femas-broke-due-to-harris.html
