Education professionals back rebellious learners - The Institution of Higher Learning
There are those who vilify Israel as a "terrorist nation," yet simultaneously advocate for the protection of free speech.
They decry the massacre of the Israeli military in Gaza, but neglect to mention the actions of terrorists committed by Hamas within Israel (October 7th). They advocate for the abandonment of "peaceful demonstrations," yearning for "new forms of resistance" (intifada, revolution). They are then bewildered when their "protest camps" at Berlin universities are dismantled by the police.
The raging tempest of the Middle East conflict has engulfed the students of Germany's capital completely!
A mob of hundreds storms the campus, roaring anti-Semitic chants, including the slogan "From the river to the sea" - which, plainly put, means the replacement of Israel with a Palestinian state.
The terrorist organization Hamas expresses their intentions more bluntly: "Expel all Jews into the sea!"
The administrations of Berlin's Free University (FU) and Humboldt University (HU) have since expelled the occupants and dispersed their camps to evade further escalations (as has occurred at American universities). Investigations into hate speech and anti-Semitic literature have been initiated numerous times. Elsewhere in central Berlin, slogans such as "Burn Gaza, burn Berlin" are already being plastered on walls.
However, the students are gathering a lot of support from more than 150 teachers at the capital's universities now.
Attitude: Allow the youth to protest. Listen rather than expel. Moreover, the "announced bombing of Rafah" and the "humanitarian crisis in Gaza" fuel the urgency of the protesters' concerns. A "dialogue-based" approach is necessary ...
Yet the students have outright rejected any dialogue with the university administration or critics. The "Student Coalition Berlin" faction, responsible for the FU occupation, declared on Instagram from the outset that they would not entertain negotiations.
What was required was a comprehensive cultural and academic boycott of Israel. Attitude: Educate yourself through the eyes of non-Jews.
Some of the lecturers calling for tolerance towards the protests have themselves held anti-colonial and pro-Palestinian beliefs. They primarily teach in political and sociology seminars (Arabic and Islamic studies, ethnology) on global migration and the radicalization of oppressed minorities, such as Palestinians and Muslims.
The reaction of Federal Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (55, FDP): "The sentiment expressed by lecturers at Berlin universities is astonishing. Rather than adopting a firm stance against hatred of Israel and Jews, these university occupants are being humanized, and the perpetration of violence is downplayed."
The teachers who signed the open letter:
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Source: symclub.org
