Why The Timid Kid Gloves? Shut Them All Down!

"What I can tell you, at the moment, is that the building is clear of employees and protesters and the building is secure."

"We don't have an exact appraisal on it [the state of the building following protest takeover] but there was damage to the exterior, the interior, equipment, materials, structure -- it was significant damage."

California State University, Los Angeles spokesman, Erik Frost Hollins 

A police officer walks by graffiti on the walls of a building at California State University on June 13. AP

 

In Los Angeles protesters barricaded the Student Services Building at California State University, Los Angeles on Wednesday, and before the incident was over, managed to trash the multi-story building. At the time the university president and other employees were in the building.  Two hours later, at 6:00 p.m. the 58 employees had mostly departed but for a group of administrators remaining to midnight, 'managing' the situation. By 1:15 a.m. Thursday most protesters had left the building to return to their campus encampment.

Police, who arrived on t he scene, ordered stragglers to exit the building, and no arrests were made, no injuries reported. Two employee "interactions" with the marauders have been left with law enforcement to deal with. Graffiti is shown on images from the building exterior, furniture blocking entry to rooms, golf carts overturned, picnic tables and umbrellas used to barricade the plaza at the front of the building.

For the past 40 days, the CSULA Gaza Solidarity Encampment has been set up close to the campus gym.

“So long as the encampment remained non-violent, I was committed that the university would continue to talk. [But in the wake of the destruction and theft that occurred Wednesday, a line was crossed and] those in the encampment must leave.”

“I am saddened, and I am angry. Campus community: Know that we will recover from this, but also know that I am committed to doing everything we can to ensure this will never be allowed to repeat. I cannot and would not protect anyone who is directly identified as having participated in last night’s illegal activities from being held accountable.”

CSULA President Berenecea Johnson Eanes

The organizers of these protests that have cropped up everywhere across North America and Europe billed themselves initially as 'pro-Palestine' before it became glaringly evident they were actually anti-Israel, until they finally morphed into mobs of pro-Hamas activists. When they moved their protests from public roadways and in front of Jewish-owned businesses in boycott mode, to finally set up tent encampments on university grounds the realization that the 'spontaneous' student protests were actually led and organized by outside agitators, paid to form raucous, threatening upheavals was revealed.

In New York, identifying themselves as pro-Palestinian activists, others committed to vilifying Israel and elevating the terrorist Hamas Palestinians, threw red paint at homes belonging to the Brooklyn Museum executives, its Jewish director in particular.  Red paint was tossed at the diplomatic mission buildings for Germany and the Palestinian Authority, leading to a police investigation and outrage from city authorities. 

 

Vandalism outside the home of a Jewish board members of the Brooklyn Museum.

From Brad Lander

 

"This is not peaceful protest or free speech. this is a crime, and it's overt, unacceptable antisemitism", stated the city's mayor Eric Adams, sharing a post showing a brick building with red paint defacing its front, a banner hung over the entrance to the home, describing Anne Pasternak, director of the museum, a "white-supremacist Zionist". "Every single American needs to see this. This is the face of hatred. Jewish Americans made to feel unsafe in their own homes -- just because they are Jewish", said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

Flyers were in circulation critical of the Palestinian Authority and its Fatah-aligned president, Mahmoud Abbas. Clearly Fatah's more oblique, limp-by-comparison excoriation of Israel as an 'occupying' force finds no favour with the protesters, prepped to throw their weight behind Hamas which has made no secret of its covenant to destroy Israel and massacre Jews. 

 

Demonstrators hold a rally in support of Palestine outside the Nova Music Festival Exhibition in New York City on June 10, 2024. The exhibition pays tribute to the victims of the October 7 attack by Hamas on an Israeli music festival.   Jonathan Fernandes/Sipa USA

 

Earlier in the week a large demonstration was held at the venue of a New York City exhibition established as a memorial to the Israeli victims of the Hamas October 7 terrorism attack on the Tribe of Nova music festival where well over 300 young Israeli men and women were slaughtered, and dozens taken hostage to the Gaza Strip. The tribute to the Israeli victims of Palestinian psychopathy was described as "Zionist propaganda" by the protest group Within Our Lifetime; the music festival described by them as "a rave next to a concentration camp".

Protesters riding a subway train to the demonstration at the Nova exhibit chanted "Raise your hands if you're a Zionist" at other passengers, closing their declaration  by chorusing "This is your chance to get out!" Social media videos revealed demonstrators spraying a subway train with graffiti,  at the Union Square station. 

 

One can only look on with total bemusement and outrage. WHY is this antisocial, hateful, antisemitic behaviour being tolerated?!!!

Vandalism was reported outside the homes of several Jewish board members of the Brooklyn Museum, a spokesperson said.   From Brad Lander

Peace Activists, Above The Law

"Throughout, York University has consistently emerged as an unambiguous focal point. It was the York Federation of Students that issued a statement in the immediate aftermath of the massacres deeming them a 'justified and necessary' act of 'resistance'. 'Chant sheets' distributed by the federation at protests also contain calls of 'long live the intifada!'; a reference to violent Palestinian uprisings against Israel."

"York University law faculty were disproportionately represented in a mid-November petition asserting that the massacres should be 'contextualized', rather than condemned."

"And CUPE locals representing York University staff have issued multiple statements accusing Israel of 'genocide' and 'apartheid', while making no mention whatsoever of the Oct.7 massacres that sparked the current conflict. 'We remain dedicated to fighting against Canada's own settler-colonial violence' reads one comment [from the union]."

Tristin Hopper, Journalist, National Post

 

"We know that fighting antisemitism requires fighting anti-Palestinian racism and all forms of interlocking oppressions; none of us will be free until all of us are free."

Naomi Klein protest faction advisory 

Red paint and posters on an Indigo bookstore in Toronto accusing CEO Heather Reisman of "funding genocide." Photo by Photo by Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre

Three York University staff members were arrested by police connecting them with vandalism of an Indigo bookstore in Toronto. They wore reflective vests and splashed red paint on the flagship store for the very particular purpose of accusing its CEO Heather Reisman of "funding genocide". Posters were pasted to the windows with that neat little accusation. In total, eleven people were arrested for what police deemed "hate-motivated mischief".

 

Following the arrests when names were released, three were identified as employees of York University. One, an associate professor. This was obviously publicity the school was less than pleased with, responding by placing the three on leave. A statement was released by the administration to the effect that its commitment to "free speech and open dialogue" did not embrace unlawful violations.

 

This led to 200 faculty and students walking out, characterizing the suspensions as "an effort to repress Palestine solidarity peace activism". The walkout was organized by a "coalition of York faculty", which took to carrying signage and distributing pamphlets for the walkout reading "Stop campus reprisals! Reinstate them NOW! Permanent ceasefire NOW!" 

 

 

"Canada Stop Arming Israel" banners were carried by protesters who massed outside the Toronto Police 52 Division downtown location with demands that the charges be dropped. Social activist Naomi Klein is set to head another demonstration outside the Indigo location at Bay and Bloor streets to put up additional posters denouncing "police intimidation tactics against peace activists". 

The protesters insist that the use of posters and ed paint to accuse a bookstore CEO of genocide is perfectly "legitimate and necessary" and should, moreover, be defended by administrators at York University. "Many faculty members are outraged that the administration has suspended these individuals rather than defending them publicly", huffed York  University associate professor Anna Zalik who specializes in critical development studies.

Indigo has been targeted by the Canadian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement meant to boycott any business enterprise with connections to the State of Israel. Reisman co-founded the HESEG Foundation, a Canadian-registered charity funding tuition of former "lone soldiers", foreign volunteers who join the Israeli Defense Forces.

This, according to the logic of the demonstrators, makes Indigo complicit in "war crimes", a "genocidal campaign" and "profiteering from Israeli war crimes". The Toronto police were denounced for "grotesque use of inflammatory language accusing the vandalism of connections to hate". The assertion is sanctimoniously put forward that simply accusing Israel and its supporters of genocidal war criminality cannot be interpreted as antisemitic. How can anyone reason with such logic?

On Nov. 10 the Indigo store at the intersection of Bay and Bloor streets in Toronto was found splashed with red paint and plastered with posters featuring the company’s CEO and founder, Heather Reisman.  Adam Cohen