University, Biden event protesters serving the cause of ending genocide in Gaza, deserve our support

 

University, Biden event protesters serving the cause of ending genocide in Gaza, deserve our support

I’m both thrilled and encouraged by the thousands of protesters disrupting the educational process at over a hundred universities and most of President Biden’s public events. They may not be in the classroom, but they are learning history first hand; indeed, may be making history. It would be wonderful if their anti-genocide protests spread to all 6,000 US colleges and universities. That might influence President Biden to pursue peace, not genocide in Gaza.

They bring to mind the legion of mostly young people who engaged in non-violent civil disobedience to end the Vietnam War and Jim Crow segregation 60 years ago. It’s easy for me to remember as I was one of them upon entering University of Chicago in 1963. Unlike the many today, I never risked arrest or expulsion from College. The only threat I faced was dodging projectiles hurled at the hundreds of thousands of us in New York City during the massive antiwar demonstration there April 7, 1967.

Approaching 80, my physical protest days are in the past. But I offer my voice to anyone willing to discuss, and publish my views in cyberspace every day among other peace activities.

The current Israeli genocide in Gaza, destroying life for 2,300,000 Palestinians there, is being funded by the US with tens of billions in weapons of genocidal death. President Biden proclaims his ‘lockstep support’ for Israel’s genocide and complements his weapons with endless vetoes of anti-genocide resolutions in the UN Security, preventing creation of a Palestinian state, acquiescing in Israel’s violent blocking of aid to starving, disease ridden Palestinians.

This is one of, if not the worst moral crime America has engaged in throughout its 248 year existence. That is why we who cannot participate directly must give our fervent moral support to these mostly young folks who will not be deterred by arrest or college expulsion. They are my heroes. They should be heroes to every American. Indeed, they may be the heroes who bring relief to Palestinians from Israeli genocide and eventually a Palestinian homeland.