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The news outlets have swamped us in recent weeks with stories of protest encampments on several university grounds in Canada and around the world. The root of this current social upheaval was the truly horrific attack by Hamas and the equally horrific retaliation by Israel. But the protests have their roots in some very laudable and democratic principles.
First, a little history lesson.
- During the transition between the wet to dry season of 1930 Mahatma (Mohandas) Gandhi led a peaceful protest against Britain’s imposed law dictating no Indian could collect or sell salt in the country. Gandhi walked over 240 miles leading protesters to the Arabian Sea to pick up a small handful of salt out of the muddy waters. Seventeen years later, after this peaceful yet defiant act, India gained independence from Britain.
- Peaceful protests like the 1913 Suffrage Parade shared the voices of over 5,000 courageous women speaking out for the right to equal political participation. This protest can remind us that peaceful acts have the power to change the system.
- Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her seat to a white passenger on a bus in Montgomery, Ala., is one such example. Her defiant act symbolized greater civil rights, spreading the message that all people deserve equal seats. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled a year later in 1956, segregation on public buses unconstitutional. The civil rights movement began in earnest shortly after – many of its leaders harkened back to Gandhi’s strategy.
Of course, the Vietnam War protests come to mind. Though there were instances of violence over the several years of the war, the student actions were almost exclusively peaceful campus demonstrations, sit-ins, and open dialogue. Thousands took to the streets and were beaten, gassed, and worse for their positions. Public opinion was shifted as the persistent messages fostered war weariness among voters.
There are always two sides to a story, but there comes a time when the predominance of only one story line should end. For decades, the ruling powers have ignored the second element of divestment in the Levant following WW-2 – the Two State Solution.
To be fair, both sides have been culpable in failing to see this succeed. Finger pointing and blaming replace realistic consideration of the ongoing plight of families on both sides of the fence – families who only want to work, raise their children, and have a safe home. The sight of millions killed, displaced, starving, and held hostage in various ways serves to challenge our humanity.
Hence the protests.
The fact that students are acting on the principles they have been taught should not come as a surprise. That they are peacefully seeking transparency and response from our institutions of higher learning and government is no surprise. We have been looking to see them participate in political discussions for a long time.
If the student population did not take a stand on public issues, global policy, and the rights of humans worldwide, we would call them lame, or worse. However, they have chosen to take on the 800 kilo gorilla in the room and it makes us uncomfortable.
And that’s the point, isn’t it?
The protests make us uncomfortable because they force us to see the reality in front of our faces instead of looking away and pretending its someone else’s problem.
Peaceful protests are one way society makes change for the better. Unlike other, recent protests, these student camps are non-violent, do not interrupt the flow of your community, and are contained to public spaces.
Talk to them. See their points. Do the academic debate. They are intelligent, thoughtful young folks, not hooligans.
These are our children espousing what we have taught them. They haven’t lost that enthusiasm. Don’t let them lose it. Encourage it.
Dennis Rizzo
Orillia
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