General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Protestors block Jewish students from entering UCLA [View all]Earthrise
(15,547 posts)A dear friend has two college-aged children - one in LA and the other at a college in the East. I know these kids from when they were little, and I am worried about their well-being - physically and emotionally - even though they say they're okay at their campuses.
I don't believe I am excusing hateful words or behavior. The response I posted in a different location in this thread:
A WS blocking a POC would be an act of aggression - same as an anti-Semite blocking a Jewish person, so [I am not excusing hate.]
If the primary purpose of the WS or anti-Semite is to harm other people, that's an act of aggression and unacceptable - period. In most cases, not allowing a person - any person - to go where others can go in safety is aggression.
If the university told the protesters they must stay in a marked-off section of a plaza or patch of grass, AND they are peacefully protesting for a cease-fire or a vast improvement in food and medicine for civilians, then they aren't there for the purpose of harming anyone. In this case, I think anyone not participating in the protest can walk around the designated area. The university's job is to set up an area that does not burden other students who aren't participating.
Student representatives of "Jewish Voice for Peace" are on multiple campuses. I've followed JVP for years, and I haven't seen anything from them that is anti-Semitic. They are against the policies and actions of Netanyahu and extreme right members of the government. They're anti-building developments in the West Bank. They're anti-Settler violence. They are not anti-Semitic.