What The Palestine Protests Arrests Show About Freedom Of Speech
Because let’s face it, “freeze peach” is only a shitass argument used in bad faith these days.
Author’s Note: If anyone is curious, I believe that the Gaza conflict was a case of the “bullied becoming the bullied.” The massacres and sieges going on now are an accurate depiction of genocide as described by the Geneva Convention. Children are being killed.
Supporting what the Israeli government is doing is not okay. The actions of the Israeli government (NOT the people) are considered to be genocide by UN experts. Whether you are Christian, Muslim, Jewish, atheist, or pagan, we can all agree that peace is the right choice. Palestinians have a right to exist.
Please do not try to argue about the conflict in my comments. Thank you.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably heard about the pro-Palestine protests going on across college campuses throughout the state. Students everywhere are standing up to protest the inhumane treatment of Palestinians by the Israeli government.
Honestly, I’m proud of these kids. The actions put forth by soldiers (including the killing of children and starving out civilians) are a form of genocide. It’s good to see college kids actually trying to make a difference.
Unfortunately, the police don’t see it that way.
At Columbia University, police arrested over 100 protestors. At UCLA, police not only arrested protestors but also got into a violent clash with students. (That article actually notes that NY had over 300 arrests for protesting.)
The protests have been spreading from campus to campus, and rightfully so. We do not have a single political party taking a stand for Palestine — despite people begging government officials to do something to stop the massacre.
The protests are getting rough. Police are donning tactical gear and arresting protestors who aren’t breaking the law. As Americans, we allegedly have the right to a peaceful assembly as well as a right to protest.
It’s times like this that make me think about the “free speech” we have in America.
People often tell me that my views are very controversial when it comes to free speech. I’m not a fan of universally free speech. I believe hate speech, conspiracy extremism, and anti-science rhetoric have no place in a healthy society.
I can’t help but notice how often “free speech” is used as a bad-faith argument when people are doling out shitty takes. Every time I hear something truly vile about women’s rights or LGBTQ rights, it’s always followed by the doofus saying, “But my free speech!”
I can’t help but notice something odd about this.
When Nazis marched in Charlottesville, police didn’t stop them. At the January 6th coup attempt, police didn’t just ignore the rioters but actually helped them gain access to the White House. Police don’t seem to mind right-wing protesters, even when they’re violent.
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