Most student protesters have sought to distance themselves from Hamas. But an activist group has ties to old groups that funded the organization.

On Day 7 of the pro-Palestinian protests on the Columbia University campus, Osama Abuirshaid stopped by the student encampment.

The executive director of American Muslims for Palestine walked through the tent city, then made a fiery speech to the gathered crowd.

“This is not only a genocide that is being committed in Gaza,” Abuirshaid said. “This is also a war on us here in America.”

Forty-eight hours later, Abuirshaid appeared at another campus — George Washington University in Washington, D.C., where he delivered another speech.

  • Carrolade@lemmy.worldEnglish
    72·
    6 months ago

    There’s unfortunately more to it than that. It is on peaceful protestors to make sure they’re not supporting violent organizations. Just because I say something, and someone else says the same thing I say, does not make that person automatically my friend and ally.

    Everyone who fights against some evil is not automatically a good person. It’s just not that simple in real life. Evil fights other evil all the time, look at gang wars and cartel violence.

    There’s more to this than a simple smear campaign, and if we just try to brush it away as one, we are only hurting our own cause.

    edit: We don’t want to be the equivalent of a “good cop” that covers for other corrupt cops, just because they’re “on the same side”. It’s hard, but we have to be better than that.

    • DolphinMath@slrpnk.netOPEnglish
      61·
      6 months ago

      Agreed.

      I’m reminded of Trump’s “very fine people on both sides” quote, in response to the Charlottesville protests where Proud Boys chanted “Jews will not replace us.”