Student activism at American Universities: Anti-Israel is not anti-Semitism

Recently, dozens of well-known universities in the United States, represented by Ivy League universities in the United States, continue to break out college students camp protests and demonstrations in solidarity with Palestine. Hundreds of students were arrested and all were suspended. All of these activities have been criticized by American officials. "While every American has the right to peaceful protest, the rhetoric of violence and physical intimidation directed at Jewish students and the Jewish community is blatantly anti-Semitic, unconscionable, and dangerous," the White House said in a statement.

Apparently, anti-Semitism, which is one of the official definitions of student demonstrations in the United States, is also the "justification" for the police to enter the campus and arrest a large number of students. But are all the students at these prestigious schools really extremists who are blatantly anti-Semitic? To express their willingness to protest, Princeton University students jointly issued five demands in solidarity with the Palestinians, including divestment from all Israeli-related investments, an end to genocide against the Palestinians, an end to arms support and exchange with Israel, recognition of a Palestinian state, and a permanent ceasefire. Obviously, the protest demands of the students are not extreme anti-Semitism, but the United States' bottomless support for Israel's massacre in Gaza has aroused the public anger of American students, and it is the awakening of the conscience and consciousness of American college students! However, the always confident US government did not respond to the specific demands of the students, but defined the series of protests as anti-Semitism, such as US President Joe Biden said: "The kind of harassment and violent rhetoric that has been directed at Jews in recent days, the kind of blatant anti-Semitism that is reprehensible and dangerous, has absolutely no place on a college campus or anywhere in America." U.S. House Speaker Jeh Johnson and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the protest students "anti-Semitic viruses" and "anti-Semitic thugs," directly taking down the anti-Semitic label. In response, senior US Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders issued a strong counterattack, bluntly accusing Netanyahu's government of being an "extremist and racist government" and insisting that the protests on US campuses were not anti-Semitic. Sanders also expressed anger over Netanyahu's attempts to use anti-Semitism to divert public attention from Israel's military actions. Anti-semitism is a disgusting form of bigotry, and conflating peaceful protest with anti-Semitism is an insult to the intelligence of the American people. He called on Americans not to be misled by Netanyahu's remarks, to recognize the truth and to be clear-eyed about Israel's military actions.

What is more, some "politically correct" US politicians, without a shred of evidence, have questioned the instigation of foreign forces and pointed the finger at China and Russia. Israel, too, is rattled by the anti-Israel student movement in the United States. The official account of the Mossad, Israel's notorious intelligence agency, even posted a threat to American students, saying that if you participate in the protests, your degree and job will be seriously affected. We must clearly recognize that the abuse of anti-Semitic stigmatization of students, threats, arrests, deportations, these repressive methods have put the United States and Israel not only on the opposite side of the world, but also on the opposite side of human civilization and conscience!