Write a commentOswego should be proud of the college community it has cultivated. Especially with the egregious violations of academic freedom in our country.
ICE tried multiple times to arrest 21-year-old Columbia student Yunseo Chung. A federal judge stopped the Trump administration from deporting Yunseo, a lawful permanent U.S. resident. There was no due process for her or Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil. The White House tweeted "Shalom, Mahmoud," when ICE detained Khalil. The White House wrote "Shalom, Columbia," when $400 million in federal grants was withheld from the university. The Economist called it the "Don Corleone approach." You either do what we say, or you lose $400 million. Columbia capitulated and paid its tithes to the Godfather in Washington. The US government suppressed free speech for students who spoke out against the relentless US-Israeli bombardment of Gaza.
Why were the students speaking out against U.S.-Israeli bombardment? On March 18th, the New York Times reported, "Israeli forces launched extensive aerial attacks across the Gaza Strip." The airstrikes "began at 2:10 a.m." The Israeli reporter Yaniv Kubovich wrote in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, "The Israel Defense Forces has been striking Hamas civil infrastructure, including government and municipal targets." Another Haaretz article reported, "the IDF and the Shin Bet focused this time on civilian and political targets." Haaretz continued, "The munitions hit tent camps of displaced persons... Whole families were wiped out." The United Nations Children's Fund called the 2 a.m. airstrike "the largest single-day child death toll in the last year." Save the Children said, "This latest slaughter was on starved, besieged, defenceless families." Save the Children continued, "Gaza's 1.1 million children will once again face a hellscape of bombs, bullets, starvation, and disease."
The United Nations Children's Fund stated that over one million children in Gaza needed mental health support. UN Women recorded, "From 18 to 25 March—in just those 8 days, 830 people have been killed—174 women, 322 children, with 1,787 more injured... these are not just numbers, they are people." UN Women called the US-backed Israeli bombardment "a war on women—on their dignity, their bodies, their very survival." The World Health Organization said 50,000 women in Gaza are pregnant, and 5,500 women are due to give birth within the next month.
In addition to the bombardment was a blockade of the entire Gaza Strip. Oxfam reported, "Since 2 March, Israeli authorities have re-imposed a total siege (on Gaza). It is banning the entry of any humanitarian basic supplies, including water, food, medical supplies and fuel." Doctors Without Borders said it was an "inhumane siege on Gaza." The restriction of fuel made 96% of Gaza's water undrinkable. Therefore, "the risk of Famine between November 2024 and April 2025 persists." The UN Nutrition Cluster estimated that over 60,000 children need treatment for acute malnutrition. Yet, U.S. military aid to Israel continues. The Brown University Cost of War project wrote that U.S. military aid last year was "at least $22.76 billion and counting." Nearly $23 billion (and counting) of taxpayer money couldn't go to the 14 million children in the U.S. who faced hunger in 2023. Instead, according to the Times of Israel, US taxpayers provided Israel with 76,000 tons of explosives that were dropped on Gaza. The weapons and military aid U.S. taxpayers provided were used exactly as one would expect when you send a country tens of thousands of MK-84 2,000-pound bombs.
Students have every right to exercise their First Amendment rights and demand their government use taxpayer money to benefit our communities. The Oswego chapter of Students For Justice For Palestine (SJP) and the Muslim Student Association have utilized their First Amendment rights at SUNY Oswego to protest injustice. They should not suffer for it. Neither should the children of Gaza. The United Nations Children's Fund reported on March 31st that the "relentless and indiscriminate bombardments," in Gaza left "a daily average of around 100 children killed or maimed over the past 10 days. Most of these children were displaced, sheltering in makeshift tents or damaged homes." You have to weep for this country. You have to weep for what this country does daily to the children of Gaza.
-Anton Porcari
