Steven Stalinsky
WSJ, Apr. 22, 2024
“Mr. Nasrallah had already cited the effect of protests “in Washington, New York, London, Paris and Western Europe” in a Nov. 11 speech, lauding their power to “apply pressure on their governments.”
Protests against Israel expanded on college campuses last week, sometimes turning violent. At Columbia University, demonstrators chanted support for terrorist organizations, burning the American flag and waving Hezbollah’s. They called for Hamas’s Al-Qassam Brigades to attack again, and taunted Jewish students:
“Never forget the 7th of October,” and “That will happen . . . 10,000 more times!”
It isn’t only on campuses. Three men interrupted the Easter vigil at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York, unfurling a banner and shouting “Free Palestine.” Since Oct. 7, countless religious and national, political and sports events have been disrupted by such demonstrations, whose organizers know how to maximize exposure and sway public perceptions. What is most discouraging is the lack of attention to what the protesters are demanding, which goes far beyond a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war.
Take the March 28 re-election fundraiser for President Biden in New York featuring Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, which was disrupted by shouting in the auditorium. That made headlines, yet the protesters’ chants, including “Down with the USA” and the “Al-Qassam are on their way,” a reference to Hamas’s miliary wing, received no coverage. Neither did their physical threats to attendees outside, a common tactic. Also ignored are the flags and posters of designated terrorist organizations—Hamas, Hezbollah, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine—displayed at protests in the U.S., Canada and the U.K.
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