Western Suppression of Pro-Palestine Students Begins
Countries like the United States and France, which often pride themselves as champions of liberalism and free speech, have begun a new wave of repression against students supporting the people of Palestine and universities where protests against the Gaza genocide have taken place.
The crackdown on students and Western citizens protesting the massacre of Palestinians has entered a new phase. Reports indicate that numerous students have been arrested, including Iranian students studying at Western universities.
One such case is Mahdieh Esfandiari, an Iranian student whose disappearance in Lyon, France, had been reported by her family. After a long period without any news, diplomatic efforts revealed that she had been detained by French police. However, the details and charges remained unclear for some time. After a month of uncertainty, it became known that Mahdieh Esfandiari was arrested due to her support for the people of Gaza, and criminal charges were filed against her for this reason.
Arrest of Pro-Palestine Students in France and the United States
Continuing the wave of arrests, BBC reported that Mohsen Mahdavi, a Palestinian-American activist and student, was arrested by U.S. Immigration authorities during his citizenship interview.
According to the report, Mahdavi, a student at Columbia University, was one of the organizers of the anti-war protests against Israel’s actions in Gaza that intensified across U.S. universities last year. Alongside Mahmoud Khalil, another detained activist, he co-founded the Palestinian Student Union.
His lawyers, unaware of his current whereabouts, stated that no official charges have been filed against him yet, but it appears that government lawyers are seeking his deportation.
Political and Financial Pressure on Universities
The U.S. government has also increased pressure on universities where protests against the genocide in Gaza were most intense. It has been reported that the U.S. government has cut off $2 billion in funding to Harvard University after the university refused government requests to spy on and report students’ activities.
BBC noted: “The U.S. government presented Harvard with a list of demands, stating that to maintain financial relations, the university must comply with requirements in ten categories. These included reducing the influence of students and adjunct professors, reporting students deemed ‘hostile to American values,’ altering hiring and admissions practices, and hiring a government-approved institution to oversee and approve Harvard’s programs aimed at combating antisemitism.”
Besides cutting federal funding, the U.S. government has also canceled contracts with Harvard worth over $60 million.
The Damage to Western Universities from Suppressing Protesters
The wave of repression against students protesting the genocide in Palestine began even before the Trump administration. After high-profile congressional hearings, the presidents of prominent universities like Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania were forced to resign.
Harvard University, in particular, has suffered considerable damage from political pressures. Claudine Gay, the former president of Harvard, initially received support from the academic community under pressure from Congress and the U.S. government. However, soon after, she faced allegations of academic misconduct and ultimately chose to resign to avoid further accusations and harm.
The central issue of Palestine and the genocide perpetrated by the Zionist regime in Gaza has exposed the reality of free speech in the United States and countries like France, which claim to be bastions of liberalism. It has revealed the emptiness and meaninglessness of Western slogans about freedom.
From: fars