Biden's 'reckless gamble' of assuming uni protests will end soon: NYT
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An NYT op-ed argues that President Joe Biden is miscalculating the situation if he is betting that anti-Israeli genocide protests in American universities will fade as elections near.
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Students and pro-Palestinian activists face police as they gather outside of Columbia University to protest the university's stance on "Israel" and the ongoing genocide in Gaza in New York City. (AFP)
If US President Joe Biden is betting on university anti-Israeli genocide in Gaza protests to die out and "lose passion," and that Democrat voters would naturally go back to supporting the party when elections near, then he is engaging in a "reckless gamble," an op-ed piece published in The New York Times on Thursday concluded.
The author, Charles M. Blow, recalled the historic anti-Vietnam War protests that took place during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 1968, stating that history is repeating itself today.
Read more: Pro-Palestine protest movement growing despite campus crackdowns in US
Protests at the time saw brutal clashes between demonstrators and police forces. The police response was later criticized by a federal commission, which described it as a "police riot," and the attention was indeed shifted away from the convention.
He added that the generation that witnessed the United States war on Vietnam was prepared for protest, fueled by a deep sense of moral conviction against it.
War of narratives
Pointing out the similarities between today and then in terms of coverage, as the war on Gaza is being broadcast on social media outlets, he mentioned that the war on Vietnam was dubbed the first "television war," and that it was the first conflict where Americans "could witness the horrors of war almost in real-time."
"The movement against it began mostly on college campuses and grew," the writer said.
Read more: War on Gaza resulted in worst food crisis ever recorded: IPC analysis
The piece argued that, despite semesters nearing an end for summer break, that was not the case in the 1968 protests. Demonstrations continued for months until the DNC in August. "Organizers planned a major protest, intended to be held regardless of whether it was sanctioned, drawing students from around the country," he said, referring to this event potentially happening again in the anti-genocide protests.
“No denial of a permit is going to prevent the tens of thousands of people who are coming to Chicago from expressing their convictions on these issues," Rennie Davis, one of the organizers, told The New York Times ahead of the DNC at the time as cited by the author.
American youth today are not strange to protest actions. In recent years, they participated in several demonstrations across the country, including Black Lives Matter and Occupy Wall Street. Today, similar demonstrations are spreading across university campuses.
Read more: Columbia Uni threatens protesters: Decamp or 'alternative options'
"As in 1968, the semester will soon end and those students will leave for the summer, allowing more time and energy for their efforts to be focused on the D.N.C. in Chicago in August," the piece argued, adding that plans for large protests are already on the way.
“We’ll be marching with or without permits. This D.N.C. is the most important one since 1968, also in Chicago, when Vietnam War protesters and the Black liberation movement organized mass demonstrations that were violently repressed," Hatem Abudayyeh of the US Palestinian Community Network recently told The Chicago Tribune earlier.
Read more: South Africa calls for investigation into Gaza hospitals mass graves
Young Americans support permanent ceasefire in Gaza
The report pointed out that, despite not being their top priority, a recent Harvard Youth Poll revealed that Americans between the ages of 18-29 "support a permanent cease-fire in Gaza by a five-to-one margin.” Additionally, a Quinnipiac University poll released on Wednesday, showed that 53% of Democrats oppose sending more military aid to the Israeli occupation entity.
"There seems to be a sense in the Biden campaign that it can simply wait the protesters out," hoping that Democrat constituents will fall back into their support to the party as elections close in "and the choice between Biden and Donald Trump becomes more stark."
However, this could prove to be a severe miscalculation, the op-ed warned.
Read more: Majority of Americans disapprove of Israeli aggression on Gaza: Gallup
"Many believe that they are witnessing a genocide aided and abetted by an American president whom they supported," the writer said. "They feel personally implicated in a conflict in which the death toll continues to rise, with no end in sight. This is a moral issue for them, and their position won’t be easily altered."
Witnessing the lifeless body of a child in a mother's embrace in Gaza is unforgettable, the report said referring to scenes students are witnessing on daily basis. Seeing hungry Palestinians seek shelter during Israeli attacks leaves a lasting impression. The Israeli killing of the aid workers is hard to forget as well.
"The numbers are staggering. The level of suffering is unacceptable. Young people will make that point clear this summer in Chicago," the piece concluded.
