Last Updated on August 18, 2024
As collegiates gear up for another semester, school administrators across the nation are putting a stiff knee on free speech, primarily because of the rise in activism against the Gaza genocide.
Columbia University President Minouche Shafik resigned Wednesday for her handling of the protests at the Manhattan campus where tent encampments sprung up last spring. Jewish financial backers in academia, along with Zionist NGOs, have been pushing cancel culture and now limitations on speech in American colleges.
According to the AP, the new rules include banning encampments, limiting the length of demonstrations, and restricting protests to specific arenas and to those with university identification. Protestors must also register well in advance to limit the size of gatherings.
The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) condemned the implementations as “overly restrictive” and “beyond reasonable.”
Our colleges and universities should encourage, not suppress, open and vigorous dialogue and debate even on the most deeply held beliefs.
Years of anti-white agitation didn’t do it. Even if protests against Jewish people are the red line, consider what UPenn Law has been doing against Professor Amy Wax, who is Jewish. But that might help whites too, so no good. https://t.co/Yn3XJYsYxx https://t.co/t5jTxvrvKi
— James Kirkpatrick (@VDAREJamesK) October 16, 2023
The University of Pennsylvania created “temporary guidelines” banning encampments and overnight protests. The school requires posters and any banners to be removed within two weeks. UPenn claimed to be committed to free speech in its statement, but that doesn’t appear so.
Another school, Indiana University, has a new “expressive activities policy” geared towards eliminating encampments and requiring that signs be given prior approval.
The AP reported Harvard’s student newspaper showed the university’s considerations for prohibiting overnight encampments, chalked messages, and signs without prior approval.
“Of course, as a community of faith, we will pray…But, let’s be honest. That is not enough. We must do more.”
A statement from Fr. McShane on the death of George Floyd: https://t.co/4qThHUnjnG
— Fordham University (@FordhamNYC) May 31, 2020
None of these universities embraced censorship or disciplinary action during the 2020 George Flyod riots. In fact, many encouraged the so-called “defund the police” movement, like Long Island’s Stony Brook University.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has characterized much of the same behavior and rhetoric but with the Pro-Palestine unrest as “discrimination,” “extremism,” and “terrorism.”
We are incredibly concerned to see student groups at @Columbia and @newschool expressing support for U.S.-designated terror groups. We call on both administrations to uphold their codes of conduct and condemn these horrific incidents. https://t.co/WjYo8hkslK
— ADL New York / New Jersey (@ADL_NYNJ) March 27, 2024
After the Oct. 7 attack against Israel, there has been an all-out assault on free speech. Currently, 50 Columbia students face discipline over the protests last spring, according to the lead negotiator on the case and alum, Mahmoud Khalil.
The university loves to appear that they’re in dialogue with the students. But these are all fake steps to assure the donor community and their political class.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, the Palestinian death toll of primarily civilians has surpassed 40,000 on Thursday. And yet, students are not permitted to voice their opposition to the Zionist regime.
Numerous students have been arrested. Some have had their charges dismissed, while others are waiting on the prosecutors. Other students have essentially been “canceled,” losing academic and career opportunities.
School officials, including Shafik, were questioned before Congress and criticized by Republicans under the allegations of antisemitism on the campus. However, these protests were not based on antisemitic fervor but instead primarily a pushback against Israel and so-called “White supremacy” but really Jewish nationalism or “Zionism.”
RELATED: NGO Monitor Smears Pro-Palestine Students as Linked to Terrorists
Ultimately, Shafik resigned from Columbia University, along with many other administrators at America’s elite universities, including UPenn President Liz Magill and Harvard President Claudine Gay.
