Israel-Hamas war spurs political controversy on college campuses
Via San Francisco Chronicle / The Samohi
UC Berkeley students rally in support of Palestine outside the César Chávez Student Center.
Throughout history, college campuses have been a place where political tension springs high, due to the fact that young voices from all different backgrounds are able to congregate and share their opinions. An integral part of maturing into adulthood can be finding one’s political identity, and universities can give students the opportunity to have open discussions with a diverse group of people.
UC Berkeley has been known for its liberal values and majority ever since the brink of the school’s existence. This general consensus has come to be as political activism towards anti-racism and anti-war movements has been a dominating part of the institution’s history. One strong example of the public school’s reputation is Berkeley’s student protest in the Free Speech Movement that occurred in 1964.
These ideals come hand in hand with freedom and open-mindedness, yet the current situation begs to differ with that free-flowing relationship. The mass majority of students and faculty at Berkeley stand together in strongly supporting the pro-Palestine side, and this general consensus on the war seems to reject any differing opinions. Exemplifying this statement is an altercation that occurred at a pro-Israel ceremony on campus, where a shared prayer was taking place. A group of pro-Palestine students arrived on* the scene, protesting their beliefs beside the live gathering. The interaction quickly became physical, and police had to become involved to calm the situation.
Current UC Berkeley freshman Adam Rosenblum (’23), has witnessed many changes on campus first-hand, in light of recent events. “Every single day I see protestors and organizations rallying in support of Palestine,” Rosenblum said. “At one of the Palestinian protests, a guy held up a sign that read ‘From the River to the Sea’ as he shouted ‘Oppose genocide!’.” To those who are in support of Palestine, the recurrent chant “From the River to Sea” demonstrates the yearning for liberation from oppression across the land once recognized as Palestine. However, the people of Israel and their supporters understand the chant to be a pro-Hamas, violent war-cry, rooted in anti-Semitism and desperation for the elimination of Israel and its people.
UC Berkeley was not unique in its overwhelming reaction to the war, and colleges across the country, including the University of Pennsylvania, have shared similar experiences.
Samo alumni DJ Bevan (’23) is currently attending the University of Pennsylvania as a freshman. Bevan claims to have witnessed a handful of protests so far, which have yet to become violent, although there have been police on standby in case of an increase in tension.
Another former Samo student, Theo Tobel (’23), shares his experience so far as a freshman attending Harvard University. “The atmosphere on campus is a bit tense — people have strong feelings on the issues and are greatly divided, and as a result, there have been many protests.”
Despite the tensions on campus, Tobel claims that the majority of students not directly affiliated with the war are not heavily opinionated, a considerable difference in comparison to UC Berkeley. “I think that is due to the fact that not many students have taken the time to educate themselves on it — it is a complex situation and history, and many people seem not to know where to start, which is understandable,” Tobel said.