Saturday, December 30, 2023

Pro-Palestinian Protests: Insulting, Annoying

Gary Fouse

fousesquawk

https://garyfouse.blogspot.com 



Hat tip PJ Media 

-Yahoo News


For years, our college campuses have been subjected to pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel protests that all-too-often cross the line into pure anti-Semitism. One would have thought that after the October 7 atrocities visited upon Israeli civilians-even children and infants-by the monsters of Hamas these protests would go away in shame. Not so. They have become more insulting and more annoying. Just in the past week or so, we have seen access roads to major airports in New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles shut down by these mopes with their black and white keffiyehs and Palestinian flags. Christmas shoppers have had to put up with these reprobates. And in what is the most outrageous display of all, they shut down the World Trade Center site in New York, site of the 9-11 attacks. Some were even shouting, "Allahu akhbar".

Meanwhile, in Europe, police have had to drastically increase security at those Christmas markets that are at risk every December because they are so offensive to certain immigrants.

This is not how you win friends and influence people. Quite the contrary.

Here is what needs to be done:

Protests that block traffic and shut down public access should be met with arrests. Stiff fines and 30 days in jail would also be appropriate assuming no other violence or destruction was involved. Attacks on Jews should be charged as hate crimes and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

If the offenders are not US citizens, they should be deported when the justice system is done with them. After all, they are what we used to refer to as "undesirable aliens". 

This also applies to campus protests that go beyond the point of being lawful and peaceful. Offenders should be promptly expelled. If they are foreign students, their student visas should be canceled and they should be deported.

Of course, given the state of cities like New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and others as "sanctuary cities" and given the state of our universities, I recognize I am engaging in wishful thinking. 

But as the quality of life is rapidly disappearing from large cities and universities are now starting to see donors turning away in disgust, there is hope for some sort of gradual change. A handful of universities have acted to suspend the odious Students for Justice in Palestine from their campuses. Hopefully, one day all universities will follow suit. The forced resignation of the president of the University of Pennsylvania is a hopeful sign. The pressure on Harvard and M.I.T. to follow suit should be kept on. Finally, the nation's attention is focused on campus anti-Semitism, albeit about 20 years too late but better late than never.

Ultimately, however, it is up to us the citizens, the voters to bring about change. As long as we keep electing politicians who allow this rot to continue-beginning at our borders- who turn their cities into sanctuary cities and who keep funding universities that teach their students to engage in these asinine activities, nothing will change.

On September 11, 2001, 19 hijackers screamed "Allahu akhbar" as they flew planes into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the ground in Pennsylvania. These are hollowed sites, and it is intolerable that people would repeat that phrase at the site of the Twin Towers. It is an insult to the memories of the 3,000 people who died that day.