TEHRAN- US universities and American-based giant tech firm Meta are collaborating to suppress potential protests against Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip as the fall semester begins.

American officials are deeply concerned that pro-Palestine protests once again sweep through US universities and colleges. 

Students held huge demonstrations in the 2023-2024 school year across many educational centers in the US to vent their anger at their institutions’ cooperation with companies advancing Israel’s war in Gaza. 

The protest movement was sparked at New York’s Columbia University on April 17 when students set up tents on the campus and began rallying in support of the Palestinian people in Gaza.

Pro-Palestinian students at US universities face restrictions, censorship as new semester begins. A day later, police raided the campus and made more than 100 arrests. 

Protests began to snowball and spread to more than 100 colleges and universities across the country with students establishing tent encampments calling on their institutions to meet their demands. 

But police launched heavy-handed clampdowns; arresting thousands of people, including faculty members.  

With the start of the new semester, officials at New York University and Columbia University, which have been at the forefront of anti-war protests, are trying to nip any demonstrations against Israel’s onslaught in the bud.  

A week ago, NYU's administration warned students that speech critical of Zionism could be classified as antisemitism. This is while students, many of whom Jews, have always rejected accusations that their protests are antisemitic. 

Columbia University has also built fences around the areas that the encampment once stood forcing students to pass through security checks. 

US universities impose ‘police state’ 

Earlier this month, reports suggested that universities across the US are planning tougher rules to restrict protests when students return from summer vacation.

“It’s going to be more of a police state than it was, but I don’t think that means no one’s going to do anything,” said Ben-Menachem, the Columbia graduate student, according to the Guardian. 

The student added, “The war is still there … nothing has changed in Palestine.”

Meta hypocrisy  

Meta, which owns and operates Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp, among other products and services, is also colluding with US universities to stifle voices of students who are opposed to Israel’s brutal war on Gaza. 

The tech company has increased pressure on accounts that feature pro-Palestine and anti-Israel content. It stands accused of censoring pro-Palestine and anti-Israel sentiment.

A few days ago, Instagram permanently banned Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine and suspended the account of NYU Palestine Solidarity Committee. The move has caused widespread outrage on social media.

Meta also said in July that it recognizes the word “Zionist” as a “proxy for hate speech”.

Condoning crimes 
Restrictions imposed by American universities and Meta cast doubt on Western claims of upholding freedom of expression, revealing a willingness to stifle the voices of the voiceless. Besides, they expose a broader pattern of support for Israel despite the regime’s carnage in Gaza. According to health officials in Gaza, more than 40,500 Palestinians have been killed in the territory since Israel began its brutal onslaught on October 7.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The International Criminal Court (ICC) has also requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Banjamin Netanyahu and his war minister Yoav Gallant over committing war crimes and crimes against humanity. 

It is clear that US authorities and Meta are working hand in glove to cover up Israeli crimes and divert public attention away from the regime’s massacres in the Gaza Strip.