In the late 1960's and early 1970's, protests broke out in colleges across the nation. The students were protesting the Vietnam War.
There was an immediate backlash from many in the country. The protesters were label as "communists", "radicals", and "Anti-American". While the protests were mostly peaceful, the backlash was not. College administrations invited police on campus to attack and remove the students, and they were also attacked by anti-protest demonstrators.
But history have proven the student protesters were right. The Vietnam War is now viewed as a bad mistake which took the lives of far too many U.S. soldiers and Vietnamese civilians.
Now student protests are again happening in colleges across the nation. This time they are protesting the way the Israeli government is waging war in Gaza (and U.S. government support for it). They are protesting the tens of thousands of civilians killed, and the lack of food, shelter, and medicine allowed to reach those civilians.
And again, there is a backlash to the protests. This time the accusation is that the protesters are being "antisemitic". They aren't. It is not antisemitic to oppose the actions of the Israeli government (anymore than it is wrong to oppose the Russian government for invading Ukraine).
And once again, college administrations are inviting the police onto their campuses - and the violence is mainly done by the police and anti-protest demonstrators.
We should react differently this time. Instead of demonizing the protesters, maybe we should listen to them. Maybe they are right. There is a good chance that will be the judgment of history.
