Liberal members of the state’s legislative Jewish caucus have publicly castigated UC Berkeley for its handling of hostility toward Jewish students and professors amid the war. They’re pushing state laws targeting antisemitism in response to the events — including a violent protest of an Israeli speaker in late February that forced Jewish students to be evacuated.
“There is nothing more indicative of the failure of our college campuses to protect students and protect free speech,” Jesse Gabriel, a Democrat who was UC Berkeley’s student body president in 2002, said of the incident.
I’m more basing it on the huge, coordinated reaction against and mischaracterization of the protests. I’m assuming it is backed by AIPAC pressure. Even Biden felt like he had to respond. AIPAC has done everything possible to thwart BDE actions by university students. The current climate is the most promising I’ve seen in a long time.
I don’t think the protests will stop the war immediately, but they are setting up a foundation for a strong political base. If the protestors and media outlets start using the word genocide, I think it will be a good sign the pressure is working. Biden can’t ignore this forever, he knows he’s politically vulnerable.