US Campus Protests — On The Importance of Free Speech & Anti-War Protests

Anti-war protests have always been a part of political activism in the US. We forget, however, that as they were happening, many of the same activists we celebrate today were condemned as being fundamentally “un-American” and even “traitors.”

This happened at protests against the Korean War, the Vietnam War, NATO intervention in the Balkans, and the Iraq War in 2003.

We can disagree with protests against specific conflicts and discuss their necessity. What we might have a more difficult time disagreeing with is on the importance of these protests.

It is in society’s interest to have our youth involved in political activism. They are our future leaders. They discuss political philosophers in their classrooms; they read ancient historians in international relations seminars; they debate moral issues; and have a right to put all these conversations into action by involving themselves in political activism.

These same students do not have the right to hate speech. They do not have the right to antisemitism or islamophobia; they do not have the right to call for violence against fellow classmates and people groups.

There are indeed concerning cases of antisemitism in the recent demonstrations we have seen at Columbia, Yale, and elsewhere. However, these cases are the exception. The same can be said about Islamophobic comments from students on campuses. They are also the exception.