As students return to campus for a new academic year, one thing is already clear: the Left’s radical pro-Hamas activists are back, determined to push their pro-terror agenda and disrupt campus life once more. On the very first day of classes, leftist protesters rallied outside the residence of George Washington University President Ellen Granberg and took to University Yard, demanding the school “divest from Israel.” The protest, spearheaded by the DMV Students for Justice in Palestine Coalition, quickly escalated into a loud and chaotic event, setting the tone for what will likely turn out to be another very disruptive year on campus.
On social media, GW SJP called for “pressure” on university officials to cave to their demands, which include severing ties with Israel-based companies and disclosing the university’s finances. These demands are simply a cover for the anti-Israel and anti-Semitic sentiments that have become all too common on college campuses as radical students and activists issue calls to “globalize the intifada.”
The protest didn’t stop with signs and chants. The leftists took their anger to the gates of U-Yard, a space that had to be barricaded earlier in the year following similar disruptive behavior. Protesters shouted aggressive slogans including “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” a phrase that calls for the elimination of Israel, and “Granberg, Granberg, we know you, you endanger students too,” targeting the university’s president.
The timing of these protests is no accident. By launching their campaign early, they aim to set the narrative for the semester and pressure the administration into submission. Young America’s Foundation’s New Guard sat in on a four-week training session put on by a national leftist organization in which this very point was emphasized.
If last year’s spineless responses by GW and the District of Columbia serve as any indication of what’s to come, it’s likely that the radicals will be allowed once again to do whatever they’d like–from having tent sex (and abortions) in the middle of public streets to vandalizing statues, and more. The District government only felt compelled to perform its job of maintaining public order and safety after Mayor Muriel Bowser was ordered to stand before Congress over her and GW’s joint decision to cede control to the leftists.
As Thursday night’s protest concluded, the leftists dispersed with a warning: they’re just getting started. It’s a clear message to students and administrators that these radicals will continue to push their support of a terror organization, no matter the cost to campus property and safety.
As the new school year begins, students and faculty who are supportive of Israel–and even those who simply don’t care to see terror supporters taking control of their campus–must be prepared to stand up to these bullies. YAF is here to help.
