Threaten campuses, shut down debate: that’s what free speech looks like under Trump | Owen Jones
andOr those who fear Donald Trump He is a tyrant in making, do not worry: has an answer. “I have stopped all government censorship and restored freedom of expression in America,” declared a victory in the union’s state speech. “He has returned!” JD Vance, Europe, in his speech at the Munich conference last month, declared, announcing that “freedom of expression in retreat” across the continent.
Like all authoritarian revenues, Trump prohibits her head and empties words of meaning in an attempt to cultivate confusion and dismantling between her critics. On the same day, Trump announced the revival of freedom of expression in Congress, and has published on the social truth that federal funding of educational institutions that allow “illegal protests” will stop. It is worth noting that the illegitimacy was not defined, but the issue that Trump refers to, of course, Palestine. “The instigators will be imprisoned/or they were sent permanently to the country they came from,” announced. “American students will be expelled permanently or, depending on the crime, they were arrested. No masks!”
Trump’s first goal: Columbia University, which received $ 400 million of federal financing was reduced due to what the government says is “the continued failure to face the constant harassment of Jewish students.” At least nine other universities – including Harvard University and the University of California – could be the next. All of them were the sites of very peaceful camps protesting the genocide of Israel against the Palestinian people. They were simply opposed to facilitating their government of these atrocities, through weapons, assistance and diplomatic support, but they demand their colleges to strip the companies associated with Israel.
Just as Trump is not a guarantor of freedom of expression, it is not a forefront of fighting racism: it is in reality the opposite. The real risk of lofty anti -Entrepreneurship has been mixed systematically with any criticism of the crimes committed by the State of Israel. This is what is meant by “anti -Israel hatred”, such as Elise Stefanick, the choice of Trump as a new ambassador to the United Nations, who has become a right -wing icon after facing university presidents on Israel. The most powerful president’s ally Is Elon Musk?In 2023, a man expressed his approval with a tweet claiming that Jewish societies were pushing “hatred against eggs”, and recently performed the Nazi greeting at the Trump gathering.
Trump himself announced that Jewish Americans who support Democrats – that is, The vast majority – “He hates their religion”, and “I hate everything about Israel” and “must be ashamed of themselves”, They said You have a “lot” of blame if you lose the presidential elections. University protests, on the other hand, had a large Jewish presence, and hundreds of Jewish students signed a speech rejecting “the ways in which these camps were Suffering as anti -Semitic“.
In fact, Colombia is in particular its students. The university banned the Jewish voice for peace before the camp started, and the police raids that led to the arrest of more than 100 students, expelled and expelled them, and expelled them, The targeted sympathetic academics. One was Catherine FrankiA Jewish professor was publicly convicted by Stefanick – not a Jew – and is forced to retire. Away from the protection of Jewish students, Frank claims that this is about “radical defenders of Israel” lying about the campus protests. She says about the suppression of Colombia for freedom of expression – and its financing is still: “This university has bowed into a knee and intimidation.”
It gets more evil. The Ministry of Internal Security arrested one of the main negotiators of Colombia Camp: Mahmoud Khalil, the owner of the American green card of Palestinian origin, Married to an American citizen Who is a pregnant woman eight months. Unknown to his wife, he was sent more than 1000 miles away To the reputable detention center in Louisiana. The administration’s claim: “He led activities to Hamas,” a blatant attempt to mix the Palestinian solidarity with the militant group responsible for war crimes on October 7.
Away from the restoration of freedom of expression, the Trump administration burns the first amendment. When it comes to Palestine, freedom of expression is simply not present. Certainly there is one man who will feel angry in particular from this anger. After all, only last week Significantly: “We have to ask ourselves the question as leaders:“ Are we ready to defend people even if we agree with what they say? “If you are not ready to do so, I do not think you are fit to lead Europe or the United States.” This was Vice President, JD Vance.
But the truth is that our right actually did not care about freedom of expression. It was just a trick, aiming to stigmatize any attempt to refute her fanaticism against minorities that have no great voice. the Trump administration The largest attack against freedom of expression has escalated since Makarethia: even before assuming the authority, faced those who oppose the genocide of Israel that they have been extracted and the victim have already been targeted by institutions such as Colombia.
However, it was not the right to defame these protests. Many “liberals” and “middle” described themselves joined, as they stained those who oppose some of the worst atrocities in the twenty-first century as hateful and dangerous extremists-the Jews of the Jews among them. In doing this, they helped add legitimacy to the inevitable authoritarian campaign and which are now underway. Simon Zimmerman, co -founder of the American Jewish Campaign Group IfnotnowHe told me that we now see “the terrifying logical conclusion of staining any person calling for Palestinian freedom as anti -Semitism: a white national administration that implements its war on civil rights and freedom of expression under the slogan” combating anti -Semitism “. We are all threatened with extinction through this blatant attack on our democracy.”
It would be very naive to believe that this repression will end up attacks on people who express solidarity with Palestine. A precedent that has been established quickly can be expanded. As is the case, the American media is increasingly threw from other things-Trump defamation, and the threat of severe investigations and bluetocrats such as Jeff Bezos bend the knee to the potential king. Freedom of expression is beaten by those who claim to be the greatest advocate.
