2024-05-02 08:21:11
Key location of the ‘Vietnam anti-war movement’ 56 years ago
This time, it emerged as the epicenter of the anti-Middle East war.
Possibility of spread of ‘anti-government protests‘… Tensions rise
White House: No illegal occupation, peaceful protests
Columbia University campus and entered Hamilton Hall on a ladder truck (pictured above). Demonstrators supporting Palestine suddenly occupied Hamilton Hall early in the morning. The police arrived at the university’s request and arrested about 50 students within 5 minutes of suppression (photo below). New York = AP Newsis”/>Around 9:30 pm on the 30th of last month. The police, who had been gathered on Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan, New York, since daytime, began entering Columbia University across the street. In the early morning of this day, when Palestinian support protesters suddenly occupied Hamilton Hall, known as the ‘symbol of American university protests,’ the university requested the police to suppress them. It was the 56th anniversary of the suppression of the 1968 Hamilton Hall protest against the Vietnam War.
Recently, as voices opposing the war between Israel and Hamas grew louder at university campuses around the world, public authorities eventually intervened at Columbia University, which was said to be the epicenter of these protests. Although the occupation of Hamilton Hall has been lifted, there is a high possibility that the anti-war protests will spread into anti-government protests. New York City Mayor Eric Adams held an emergency press conference and asked the protesting students to refrain, saying, “The right to protest must be balanced with the right to keep schools and the city safe.”
● Bringing back ‘that day’ in 1968
On this day, when the police attempted to enter Hamilton Hall through a second-floor window, the scene turned into chaos. Protesters crowded inside and outside the building shouted at the police, “Shame on you” and “Release the students.” According to the Columbia Spectator, a Columbia University journal, police began arresting protesters about five minutes after entering. Police said, “We arrested approximately 50 students at Hamilton Hall.”
Coincidentally, this day was exactly 56 years since protesters opposing the Vietnam War were arrested at Hamilton Hall in 1968. At the time, the sight of about 700 protesting students being dragged away by the police sent a huge shock to American society.
It appears that the protesting students’ intention to occupy Hamilton Hall in the early morning of this day took this into account. At a time when the world’s attention is focused on Columbia University, the goal is to secure legitimacy by evoking a ‘legendary event’ of the student movement. In fact, it is said that after several protesters entered the hall the night before, the doors were opened early in the morning and a large number of students entered. Mark Nyson, a history professor at Fordham University who participated in the 1968 protests, told NBC, “(The current situation) is very similar to the situation at that time.”
Columbia University President Minouche Shafik, who responded at a congressional hearing last month that he would “take strong action against anti-Semitism,” sent an urgent letter to the police requesting suppression of Hamilton Hall when it was occupied. He also requested that he remain on campus until the 17th, which is after the university graduation ceremony (15th). The school also sent a warning to students who did not participate in the protest, telling them to “evacuate to a safe place outside the school.”
● “It could grow into a political anti-government protest.”
The Hamilton Hall protests have been suppressed, but the fire of the situation may spread further. Initially, the main purpose of the protests was opposition to the government’s pro-Israel policy, but as the hard-line crackdown continued, criticism that it was suppressing ‘freedom of expression’ was growing. The New York Times said, “This crackdown at Columbia University could change the pattern of protests,” and added, “It is possible that it could spread into political anti-government protests like the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement that raged across the country in 2020.” “There is this,” he said.
As the situation takes a turn for the worse, voices of concern are also raised in the political world. John Kirby, White House National Security Council (NSC) National Security Communications Advisor, demanded on this day, “The students’ occupation of the building is an illegal act, and the protests must proceed peacefully.” John McWhorter, a linguistics professor at Columbia University, also criticized in an article in the NYT, saying, “What started as an intellectual protest is degenerating into abuse toward someone else through uncompromising anger and violence.”
However, young Americans, including college students, are increasingly dissatisfied with the Biden administration. Fadumo Osman (28), whom I recently met at a demonstration supporting Palestine in New York, said in an interview with the Dong-A Ilbo, “We are supporting a war that kills civilians with our taxes, while ignoring the problems within the United States.” He added, “Four years ago, President Biden “I chose it, but I don’t know this year,” he said.
New York = Correspondent Kim Hyun-soo [email protected]
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2024-05-02 08:21:11