Days after protesters seized power of a tower at Columbia University, the College Democrats of America issued a speech praising pro-Palestine activists for their “bravery.”
In its speech, the student business of the Democrat Party said it stood” with the wide and intercultural partnerships of students” that were protesting and had established anti- Israel encampments at Columbia University, Harvard University, Yale University, George Washington University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The declaration read:
Everything in America is more important than the right to peacefully rally for what is best. The freedom of speech, assemblage, and opposition is not just one enshrined in our law, but one that has been a tradition in America for decades, ranging from activities surrounding Civil Rights, the Vietnam War, LGBTQ justice, and more lately Climate Change.
Anti-Israel demonstrators at Columbia University took command of Hamilton Hall, an intellectual building on campus, on Tuesday night, and were video-shy slamming the glass windows, bringing barricades into the tower, and hanging pro-Palestine flags from the windows.
— College Democrats of America (@CollegeDems ) April 30, 2024
Columbia University curbed exposure to its campus for the majority of the semester following the occupation and threatened to remove the students who are now occupying the encampment.
The College Democrats continued:
We applaud the bravery of students from all over the nation who have been ready to go through arrests, suspensions, and threats of expulsion in an effort to defend the rights and dignity of the Arab people.
The business did not address the events that occurred at Columbia University in the morning, but instead stated that it stood with” those protesting for peace” and added that it found” all calls for violence, such as those against Jewish and Muslim individuals, wrong”.
President Joe Biden and his management received criticism for “bear hugging” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to the speech.
Biden has stated that his assistance for Israel is “ironclad,” but earlier this month he demanded an “immediate peace” from Israel in the Hamas conflict.
In the aftermath of Hamas’s October 7, 2023, assault on Israel, which left 1, 200 people dying and more than 200 individuals taken as hostages, racist incidents skyrocketed 360 percentage in the three weeks after the attack.
