RedState has covered many of the pro-Hamas protests on university campuses across the country, which have sprung up during the six months since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
While most of the protesters come across as a gang, betraying no discernable individual thought or motivation for what they say or do, we’ve brought you journalists’ earnest attempts to coax a coherent rationale from some of them.
This most recent piece, from my colleague Bob Hoge, serves as the perfect lead-in, since it discusses a new ploy of the pro-Hamas protesters: Interrupting graduation ceremonies. In April, I also wrote about the University of Southern California bowing to the protesters’ violent threats and antisemitic rhetoric, and completely canceling the school’s 2024 commencement:
Arizona State University (ASU) has also been plagued with attempts to set up “encampments,” though they didn’t get much further than groups of protesters–over a few nights–huddling together en masse, in areas where policies clearly stated it was prohibited. Slowly but surely, local TV coverage showed the protesters getting peeled away from the group and arrested by police.
Reporter Ben Brown from Phoenix’s ABC affiliate, while reporting on the legal fallout from the protests, interviewed one senior who is triggered because she’s just learned that there are consequences for one’s actions.
Notice how she repeats “the cause” several times, without sharing much detail on this oh-so-important movement that she’s willing to throw away her future for. This attitude reminds me of a recent piece by RedState’s Brandon Morse; he pointed out that based on the naive answers these student revolutionary wannabes gave, so many of them just glommed onto the protests out of a desire for community, while not truly understanding what they’re truly supporting.
Brown reported on Thursday that Brocker was one of 20 students who tried to sue the school after they were suspended, banned from campus, and forbidden from communicating with professors–and lost. ASU isn’t playing their games. What’s that mean for getting that coveted diploma? The students can’t complete their coursework or take final exams.
But also notice Brocker’s answer about whether she would put herself in the same jeopardy again. Her answer says it all. Unfortunately for this student, it seems she hasn’t learned a lesson from her actions–at least not yet.