With the recent heavy-handed suppression of pro-Palestinian protests at many US universities (something that is seemingly only just beginning), I came across this interview with a participant in...
With the recent heavy-handed suppression of pro-Palestinian protests at many US universities (something that is seemingly only just beginning), I came across this interview with a participant in Vietnam-era protests at Kent State. For non-US users who may not be familiar, this is a well known event in the US. An anti-war protest on May 4th, 1970 at Kent State in Ohio turned deadly when the Ohio National Guard opened fire on student protestors, killing four of them. The interview I have linked to is with an artist who was present at the time, and friends with some of the victims. I think this is timely not only because of the relevance to today's protests, but also because the anniversary is coming up. One quote jumped out at me:
Fifty years after the fact the narrative has finally shifted to recognizing the students as victims rather than ‘communists’ and ‘trouble makers’. That is largely because they now appear to be on the right side of history regarding the USA’s imperialistic mistake called The Vietnam War. However, in the immediate aftermath of the Kent State killings and for at least two decades hence, the official history controlled by right wing media and corporate news sources marched to a different drummer - that of patriotic whitewashing where anti-war sentiment and student activism were portrayed as misguided and downright anti-American. Remember, the parents of the killed and wounded students banded together and brought a class action lawsuit against the University and the State of Ohio. They lost their case on the simple defense argument that invoked the declaration of Martial Law as exonerating them from any liability. Today’s youth population would do well to read up on how easy it is in a supposedly free society for individual rights to be taken away in a heartbeat.
Thanks so much for posting this. The obvious parallel is truly frightening. I am appalled at the current assault on free speech by the universities, but also hopeful that the steps they are taking...
Thanks so much for posting this. The obvious parallel is truly frightening. I am appalled at the current assault on free speech by the universities, but also hopeful that the steps they are taking might avoid a similar outcome to what happened at Kent State.
I hope it can be avoided too. It is extremely disheartening to see elected politicians basically lusting after the potential of deploying the National Guard on these protests.
I hope it can be avoided too. It is extremely disheartening to see elected politicians basically lusting after the potential of deploying the National Guard on these protests.
With the recent heavy-handed suppression of pro-Palestinian protests at many US universities (something that is seemingly only just beginning), I came across this interview with a participant in Vietnam-era protests at Kent State. For non-US users who may not be familiar, this is a well known event in the US. An anti-war protest on May 4th, 1970 at Kent State in Ohio turned deadly when the Ohio National Guard opened fire on student protestors, killing four of them. The interview I have linked to is with an artist who was present at the time, and friends with some of the victims. I think this is timely not only because of the relevance to today's protests, but also because the anniversary is coming up. One quote jumped out at me:
Emphasis my own.
Thanks so much for posting this. The obvious parallel is truly frightening. I am appalled at the current assault on free speech by the universities, but also hopeful that the steps they are taking might avoid a similar outcome to what happened at Kent State.
I hope it can be avoided too. It is extremely disheartening to see elected politicians basically lusting after the potential of deploying the National Guard on these protests.