Universities and colleges across the country have become embroiled in a debate over free speech in the aftermath of the massacre of Israelis by Hamas terrorists this week. Various student groups have expressed support for Hamas or their cause while condemning Israel. Black Lives Matter (BLM) chapters have even shown the image below of one of the terrorists who paraglided into Israel where hundreds of civilians were murdered, including babies. Harvard has been a particular flashpoint over strident statements of condemnation of Israel immediately after the attack. The support has led to at least one firm rescinding an offer to a pro-Palestinian NYU law student as well as calls for universities to cut off support for student groups condemning Israel.
The Black Lives Matter chapter in Chicago posted the image below which was seen as support for the Hamas attacks on Israeli citizens. It was quickly reposted by many on the Internet. Other BLM chapters have also denounced Israel and supported Palestine in the expanding war.
One of the cartoons stressed “This isn’t about Hamas — this is about Palestinians right to resist 75 years of Israeli settlers colonizing their native land.”
A coalition of 31 Harvard organizations, including Amnesty International, placed the blame on Israel for the attack. The groups issued a letter to the public as a “Joint Statement by Harvard Palestine Solidarity Groups on the Situation in Palestine” on Sunday.
The “situation” in Palestine also included the reported beheading of Jewish babies, raping of women, and massacring of people at a concert dedicated to efforts to find peace.
One group described the attack as “a historic win for Palestinian resistance.” The Harvard letter accused Israel of being “entirely responsible” for the attacks:
“We, the undersigned student organizations, hold the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence. . . The apartheid regime is the only one to blame.”
Anger over these views has led to calls for censorship on campus and the firing of students who have publicly stated support for Hamas. Winston & Strawn LLP rescinded an offer to Ryna Workman, president of the NYU Student Bar Association, due to her role in a statement that Israel bore “full responsibility” for the attacks by Hamas.
As a private business, the law firm is not bound under the First Amendment.
However, some have gone further to discuss these views as unprotected free speech and suggested that law students holding such views should be prevented from joining the bar. Clearly, these students are engaging in free speech and, with regard to state action, they would be entitled to the full protection of the First Amendment.
The use of ideological grounds to bar law students from becoming lawyers is a dangerous practice that, in my view, would violate free speech protections. Like most people, I am disgusted by the actions of Hamas and atrocities committed in this attack. However, this country remains committed to many freedoms that Hamas and other terrorist groups have opposed. It is never easy to support core rights for those who support their denial in others, including the very right of existence for others. However, that is precisely the point. We are not them.
In my view, cutting off support for these student groups at state schools would violate the First Amendment. Doing so at private universities would violate core free speech guarantees. In the meantime, many of us will continue to support Israel and the many faculty and students who have lost friends or family. This tragedy has touched many. We have been in touch with family and friends in Israel who are safe. However, some expect to be called into service in the coming days. I have spoken to many of our students who are facing a nightmare of not knowing whether family members were killed or captured.
The BLM and other statements obviously cause greater trauma for many in our community who are grieving those killed or captured in Israel. However, we should direct our efforts at assisting those who have lost loved ones in Israel rather than censoring others.
Let them speak! Provide the names of every member of these organizations to the World! We have every right to know who is speaking.
So now the doxxing is everything you ever dreamed of.
LOL
I disagree with the premise that cheering the slaughter of innocents is ‘speech’ that must be tolerated in public without question. Perhaps a better solution would be to airlift those cheerleading the effort directly into Gaza – let them whoop it up there.
So you’re not cheering as israel is wiping gaza from the map, right ? Or are you the usual total hypocrite ?
No, not cheering. Life is precious and the people in gaza are not hamas. Its a sad thing. As for the hamas terrorists…kill the f-ers.
“He watching over Israel slumbers not, nor sleeps” from Mendelssohn’s “Elijah”
From the Psalms~
He watching over Israel slumbers not,
nor sleeps……….Shouldst thou, walking in grief, languish…
He will quicken thee….
Gorgeous, Cindy. Thanks for reminding us that God is found in beauty particularly in a world that shuns both
Cindy, since you find beauty in the Psalms you might find beauty in this. It is from the Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) 3:1-8. Douglas Murray does the reading.
https://www.thefp.com/p/douglas-murray-ecclesiastes-israel?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=260347&post_id=137764713&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=2544hu&utm_medium=email
Oh thank you for this reading…..one of my favorite scriptures read by one of my favorite people. I always watch Gutfeld when Doug Murray is on! That scripture is so beautiful and so powerful…..it’s just incredible. One thing about growing up Baptist is they are passionate about teaching children to love and memorize scripture. I’m grateful for that.
Thank you, Alan…..very sweet of you to share it. Shalom alechim!
Free speech is a must. The problem is not with free speech – the problem is with the lack of speech by Harvard. If they are cowards then they follow in the footsteps of so many who were silent in the face of pure evil, if they think like their student and endorse it with their silence or double standards of response then they are worst. Either way they do not come out clean. Harvard administration has a terrible record on allowing free speech – unless it is from the woke-mob. So adding Authoritarianism to the list.
No one is required to babble about the thousands of years of whack jobs warring in the middle east right now.
This is the USA.
Tragedy? What about the rivers of innocent blood shed when Bill Clinton refused to lift a finger as 1 million Rwandans were massacred?
Not as bad as his war mongering in Haiti and the balkans of course that was mostly peaceful prosperity and besides they deserved it just like the vile evil now being decimated.
I mean you can’t expect to stop everything but you do expect to not start a bunch of em.
So far only Trump has done so for quite some time.
What annoys me about both sides is the hardline they take in their positions. Both groups won’t hesitate to take up arms for their side but if asked to defend the United States, well that’s another matter. They’ll scream racist, white supremacist, colonizers, any and every expletive they can muster.
The United States to them is just a b*^#h they suckle her free delicious milk. All the United States citizens they hate are the ones that have gifted them with the safety of free speech while giving up life and blood. When all of them show love for this country, the men and women who uniform up and “they uniform up”, then I’ll take a position for them.
I guess you haven’t noticed the military is queer central now, abortions, trans theatricals for the navy -, etc.
They suited up. Some did.
On the other hand, the rah rah ree israeli crew is just as bad.
What position are you going take for them ?
Good on you if you’re a war monger and go murder someone overseas ?
Hey AW, you did read “both sides, both groups, all of them”? Now go out join the US Army, Marines, Air Force or Navy and put your butt on the line for the United States of America.
Agreed. Free speech. Also, freedom to boycott so-called institutions of higher indoctrination. Alumni?? Boycott law firms that higher those who express support for murderous, raping savages.
LOL the law firms the very direct one to one ratio of 100% ivy
Yes, as the ragers on here call for the boycotts we will have to include all the lawyers and those ivy alumni who didn’t tend to their alma mater and are obviously just like em – well just icky… gee what a disappointment
The Founders would like to say a few words on the America they established.
Go ahead, Gentlemen.
Ahem!
________
Naturalization Acts of 1790, 1795, 1798 and 1802 (four iterations – they meant every word of it)
United States Congress, “An act to establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization,” March 26, 1790
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, That any Alien being a free white person, who shall have resided within the limits and under the jurisdiction of the United States for the term of two years, may be admitted to become a citizen thereof…
Yeah, so that’s why things alternate – first you’re an anti semite, then the bloviating lying jew gasbag claims he’s white, not semitic. Then after he screams he’s white and you’re an anti semite (and racist sometimes too) …. then he brings up Hitler and whines his whitey butt …. was anti semited against….
Just below some moron was long babbling about his historical view – wow imagine that the balfour dec. and on, and he blabbers I don’t think like some it’s about racism, whites against browns – um, so yeah there ya go – they want over 3000 years of history they claim on their side but THEN THEY ARE WHITE.
So in any case, the jews are semitic, they are white, and they are non racist – now move forward with the new talking points before every gazan is cleansed from the face of the earth.
The speakers in every instances had and still have the freedom to speak as they please. The question is in what circumstances whether speech should have consequences. The Winston and Strawn offer recission is appropriate. The speaker’s speech allowed them to learn heretofore unknown unsavory aspects of their potential hire. Winston and Strawn is a private entity and has no duty to hire people that are at odds with the firm’s values. Excluding speakers from joining the bar because of what they say is completely inappropriate. State bars are monopolies and like public utilities have a duty to serve all that meet certain objective criteria. Likewise, any action against speakers due to what they say is even more inappropriate by government agencies. As oppose to the bar (a private monopoly), government is a public monopoly and needs to treat everyone equally no matter how odious their opinion.
I saw something on another site that said the BLM Chicago site is NOT associated with the official BLM group.
I must have missed when they were taken to the woodshed for that disgusting picture.
Love it, Darren……there are more life lessons taught in one episode of that show than in anything the American Federation of Teachers has to offer.
While I fully support even repugnant speach, however, if the students are not US citizens I would not be opposed to revoking their visas and removing them as undesirable.
I noted in one of the good professor’s earlier columns that this is a war that has been on going since humans where making fire with two rocks. Talking about the past whatever years, who committed what atrocities in the past, all moot. Look at the current situation and how it is going forward. How will it affect not only the Israelis, the Palestinians, but the whole world.
Rand Paul recently called for people not to rush to snap judgements based off emotions and escalate things into WWIII.
I agree.
This is a terrible, awful, disgusting atrocity. But can we not skip over everything else and go straight for the nuclear option?
We are at 90 seconds to the Doomsday Clock Midnight. Do we really want to push it that much closer?
Read an article that the Google search of “Can I be drafted?” and was followed by “Am I too old to be drafted?” were trending. Based off the military services not meeting recruitment quotas for two years running with exception of the Marine Corps, and the NG recruitment and retention is even worse, the Army War College recent essay of the all volunteer fighting force may have out lived it’s usefulness and a partial conscription force maybe required, yeah. I could see a lot of 18-25 year olds getting nervous.
And to all those who hashtagged I stand with BLM, or the Ukraine or pro-Palestine whatever, they should be the first ones drafted. No exceptions. All combat MOS. Take your self-righteous virtue signaling and walk the walk.
And beware of those who would take advantage of this situation. Those who are calling to arms are the ones I am going to be watching the closest. It is all kinds of patriotic when they do not have their skin, their children or grand children’s skin in the game.
I am not a Senator’s son.
Would love to meet you and find out what kind of warrior you really are?
I have my DD214 under honorable conditions.
Do you?
Yes sir Upstate, both posts.
You forgot to add all the war for israel promoters and the afghanistan heavies and the yemem and the somalia gung ho – I’m sure I’m missing quite a few current more.
So NO, you don’t just get to have your political enemies scooped up – IT’S YOUR BUTT AND ALL THE REST TOO.
The good thing about free speech is that these creatures spoke up and CEOs are collecting names so they will never hire them. The little s**ts are already scrambling, to hide or withdraw their names according to the NY Post. They can start working on their barista applications. If they really meant it they would go to Gaza and join the jihad so in a week or so we will never hear from them again.
Wow, glad you’re at the war front in gaza taking them down, since you really meant it. Stay safe.
After reading the comments on this blog, it’s a real shocker to see that Turley’s followers are ignoramuses who know nothing about history and are so easily swayed by the war propaganda coming out of the Western media. Read a book or two about the history of the Middle East, you losers.
Most are lawyers. Doctors, professors or businessmen and though they may disagree they are far from ignorant.
What are you?
Apart from a troll that is?
“High school class of 2022 had lowest ACT scores in over 30 years, data shows”
– ABC News
______________
All of the unconstitutional and deleterious acts of the welfare state and the communists (liberals, progressives, socialists, democrats, RINOs, AINOs), including, but not limited to, admissions affirmative action, grade-inflation affirmative action, employment affirmative action, quotas, welfare, food stamps, minimum wage, rent control, social services, forced busing, public housing, utility subsidies, WIC, SNAP, TANF, HAMP, HARP, TARP, HHS, HUD, EPA, Agriculture, Commerce, Education, Labor, Energy, Obamacare, Social Security, Social Security Disability, Social Security Supplemental Income, Medicare, Medicaid, “Fair Housing” laws, “Non-Discrimination” laws, etc., have led to “Low Expectations” and the “Dumbing Down of America.”
Democrats want to destroy America and effect “RECONSTRUCTION” under the Communist Manifesto.
The democrat motto: MAFA – Make America Feeble Again
They’re doing just that.
What should citizens rightfully expect from their government which forces whomsoever they will to sacrifice their lives in war?
Apart from the fact that both Israelis and Palestinians have lost souls, many of them innocent, and that should be acknowledged, there is irony in that the Harvard cancelers and enemies of free speech are now themselves being cancelled and denied free speech. What goes around, comes around.
The wretched refuse of our teaming shores, swept up by the educational broom and dustpan, carried to the halls of ivy landfills by academic garbage trucks, marinated and liquified by its processor into a swill of moral and ethical turpitude which, after total putrefaction, poured into the cesspool which the rest of humanity is treading in, attempting to remain afloat, whilst the generators of the aforementioned refuse persist in runing around in motorboats making waves.
ZZDoc – outstanding!
When people tell you who they are, believe them.
And then do not forget.
“Political power grows out of the barrel of the gun…”
– Mao Tse-tung
__________________
The Japanese stopped after Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
President Harry S. Truman said conclusively and definitively, “The buck stops here.”
It did.
_______
Hamas, Palestinians, Black Lives Matter, Environmentalist wackos, Extinction Revolution, XR, Feminazis, Communists (liberals, progressives, socialists, democrats, RINOs,
AINOs), Iran, China, North Korea, Russia et al. will stop only when they are compelled to.
“Political power grows out of the barrel of the gun…”
– Mao Tse-tung
I’m tired of seeing this self-evident falsehood portrayed as some sort of insight. Think about it. Those gun barrels do not aim themselves (at least not yet). Clearly, power grows from consent. In the case of democratic systems, the consent of the majority of those voting, through their choices at the ballot box. In the case of autocratic systems, the consent of the security services/military, through their choices to continue suppressing dissent.
Case in point: the end of Communist rule in Romania. The people began protesting, and the army was called out to break up the demonstrations. The soldiers chose not to obey. The security services chose to open fire on the demonstrations. The soldiers chose to return fire. Absent the choices of the soldiers, the government would not have been overthrown.
Mike Dubost
Hamas is doing the work of their masters in Iran. They don’t care what happens to the Gazaians as a result.