The USA, which claimed itself as the ‘land of free’, now experi encing grave assault on freedom of speech and rights to protest in its own ‘free’ land. Hundreds of students who are protesting the USA’s unwavering support in the Gaza genocide, have been arrested and assaulted. The unprecedented ongoing assaults remind us of so-called ‘Western liberalism’ that practically means ‘you are free until you remain inside our boundary’.

Criticizing the USA’s double-standard and inhumane actions against university students and teachers, Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said, “The students and teachers did not carry anything like torches or sticks in their hands. But the way police behaved with them raises the question about how much human rights are there.”

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“There while protesting one woman professor was severely physically assaulted by police. It brings the question of how much Freedom of Speech they enjoy (in America), that is the question. Our question is how much rights they have to protest against any injustice,” she said.

On Thursday (25 April), an American professor, Caroline Fohlin, was violently flipped onto the ground on the Emory University campus grounds in Atlanta, Georgia, while a CNN camera crew captured the incident on video. Fohlin consequently spent 11 hours in jail and was charged with “battery against a police officer,” although the video footage suggests otherwise.

Seconds before the arrest, Fohlin shouted “to get away from the student” at several police officers wrestling one student to the ground. Fohlin was one of the two Emory University professors arrested on the day, along with several students, as the campus joined a growing list of US academic institutions joining protests.

‘Feel the Heat’

Protest organizers claim to have simple but far-reaching aims: to push lawmakers to stop providing financial aid and weapons to Israel, and to encourage Democratic voters to boycott President Joe Biden as a form of political retribution for his support Israel’s war on Gaza.

The goal of the demonstrations, according to Hatem Abudayyeh, the national chair of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, which has organized street protests in Chicago, Cleveland, and Detroit, is to make “the Democrats feel the heat, not only from the mass protests but also from the people who are being stopped in the streets, who aren’t making it to work on time.”

And it appears to be having an effect. NBC News recently reported that Biden has taken extraordinary steps to avoid protesters at public and campaign events. During the Democratic primary in Michigan, which has a large Muslim population, more than 101,000 voters marked “uncommitted” on their ballots, compared to just under 1,300 voters who checked the box in 2020.

The student protests, primarily centered on their demand for academic institutions to divest from companies with Israeli ties, have gained momentum. Starting with Columbia University in New York on April 19, “in solidarity with Gaza” encampments have spread across US campuses.

In the following week, the latest Israel-Gaza “war” marked 200 days, with an increasing and unprecedented Palestinian death toll. 

While the peaceful student protests across the US are not entirely free from anti-Semitic sentiments, much of the media coverage and commentary in the US tend to label the student protesters as terrorists or terrorist sympathizers unfairly.

Jude Taha, a Palestinian Columbia Journalism School student, recently explained to Al Jazeera that while there may be a few bad actors or those with extreme views, they are far and few between, stating, “It does not represent the encampment [at Columbia] where I have spent nearly all the days reporting. There have been no incidents of anti-Semitism.”

Beyond the extremities lies a genuine question: Where is the student’s constitutionally guaranteed right to freedom of speech and expression? By organizing and conducting “peaceful” protests on campus, the students are only exercising their rights. For instance, the president of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), Irene Mulvey, recently explained to Vox that in the balancing act between freedom of speech and student safety, “You don’t have to suppress speech to keep students safe… I know all of these campuses where these things are happening — Columbia, NYU, Yale — these campuses and these presidents will espouse academic freedom and free speech at the drop of a hat.”

“But if you’re not standing up for those principles at times like these, then those words are completely meaningless.”

Stifling peaceful protests and freedom of speech in American universities has called into question the values that the United States claims to stand for.

President Joe Biden, like many other Congress members and pro-Israel supporters, has accused the students protesting Israel’s actions of anti-Semitism.

When asked on Monday about his message to the protesters at college campuses, Biden said, “I condemn the anti-Semitic protests.”

The statement by the president is seen as absurd and a misrepresentation by some. The students, some of whom are Jewish, are clearly expressing their concerns about Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip. In fact, organizations such as Jewish Voice for Peace have played a leading role in the protests.

Possibly, Biden and hawks in Congress are using the anti-Semitic accusation to justify financial, military, political, and diplomatic support for the government of Benjamin Netanyahu.

Individuals around the world who had admired the United States for its proclaimed defense of democracy, freedom of opinion, and the right to peaceful protest now feel disappointed and realize they were mistaken in their perceptions.

Manhandling students’ right to free speech

The latest tensions in the US over the Israel-Gaza conflict have also seen a rapid – and in many cases violent – response by universities against student protesters.

At Columbia University, the president’s decision to call police to counter-protesters was vehemently opposed by the head of the American Association of University Professors. Emory University reportedly had one of the quickest shows of police force against divestment protests nationwide.

Several campuses called in state police, leading to hundreds of student arrests, though many were later released or had charges dropped. Faculty members were also reportedly arrested.

However, the students’ vigor to speak up seems undiminished. This wave of intense, widespread campus protests might be unprecedented in the 21st century.

Historically, US students have played pivotal roles in major movements, from opposing the Vietnam War and apartheid in South Africa to advocating for civil rights and free speech. While some protests faced forceful responses from law enforcement, they often catalyzed broader social and political change.

The current student demonstrations appear to be the latest chapter in this long tradition of student activism on American college campuses.

On the world stage, the United States portrays itself as the custodian of free speech, repeatedly urging other countries and sovereign states to protect and restore people’s freedom of speech and expression. The US has advocated for establishing democratic values in other nations, many of which center on freedom of speech and expression.

For instance, annual country reports for Bangladesh published by the US government agency have pointed out how freedom of speech and expression are under duress in that country.

While it is commendable to call out other countries to protect their people’s human rights, it is also crucial to ensure that one’s own house is in order before doing so. If the US fails to protect students’ right to free speech on American campuses, it raises questions about its credibility when urging other governments to uphold freedom of speech in the global arena. Maintaining consistency between domestic practices and international advocacy is essential for the US to retain its moral authority on such issues.

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