Anti-Israel activists at Yale University in Connecticut recently set up a “liberation zone” in solidarity with Columbia University in New York City, where protesters were heard shouting pro-Hamas slogans and setting up an encampment on campus. The video shows students at Yale laying down a banner reading “Liberated Zone” along with other banners expressing anti-Israel sentiments. Protesters marched, chanted, and held signs demanding liberation and an end to occupation and genocide. Tents were also set up, and a Jewish man was seen engaging with protesters, who attempted to block his view and record the protest.
Cornell Law Professor William Jacobson compared the protests at Ivy League universities like Columbia and Yale to the Occupy Wall Street movement of 2011, highlighting the anti-capitalist nature of both movements. He noted that the protests are a result of years of dehumanizing Israeli Jews on campuses through the BDS movement and radical faculty members. Jacobson emphasized that the goal of the BDS movement is not just to boycott Israeli products but to spark campus-wide debates demonizing Israel, regardless of the outcome.
Jacobson pointed out that while the protests claim to be about liberation, they still depend on the system for essentials like food and water. He suggested that the focus on Israel in the anti-capitalist movement leads to the dehumanization of Jews and serves as a convenient scapegoat for various societal issues affecting students like debt and career uncertainties. At Columbia University, nearly 500 students continued protesting after over a hundred arrests were made for refusing to leave an encampment, including the daughter of U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, Isra Hirsi, who was arrested for trespassing.
The BDS movement has also made its way to Cornell University, where a referendum was sent to the student body for a vote. However, Jacobson believes that movements like these, seen at Columbia, Yale, and other campuses nationwide, are “dead end movements” because they lack a positive agenda and are focused on tearing things down. He highlighted that these protesters are not just anti-Israel but also anti-American and anti-capitalist. Despite ongoing protests, the future of these movements remains uncertain as they continue to push an agenda of destruction with no clear path forward.
Overall, the demonstrations at Yale and Columbia reflect a rising anti-Israel sentiment on college campuses, fueled by the BDS movement and a broader anti-capitalist ideology. These protests, while claiming to stand for liberation and justice, have been accused of dehumanizing Jews and using Israel as a scapegoat for broader societal issues. The future of these movements remains uncertain, as they face criticism for lacking a positive agenda and primarily focusing on tearing things down rather than building a better future.
