You would think a place where history would be remembered is a place that teaches it. Some universities trying to stop the pro-Palestinian protests are calling the cops while some people are demanding intervention by the National Guard. Even without the National Guard, the cops are coming in militarized. This morning at UCLA, the cops shot at protesters with rubber bullets.
The universities need to remember the Kent State massacre in 1970 where National Guard troops opened fire on students protesting the war in Vietnam, injuring nine and killing four. All the shooters who shot at unarmed college students were acquitted. I don’t have much faith in the American public recalling 54 years ago when they can’t remember that Donald Trump teargassed Black Lives Matter protesters so he could walk through a park for a photo-op with an upside-down Bible.
I think the tactics by the LAPD and NYPD have been overly heavy-handed. I have felt sick to my stomach watching college kids being frogmarched in zip ties.
At UT-Austin, there was no violence until the cops showed up. At UCLA, there wasn’t any violence until counter-protesters attacked pro-Palestinian protesters.
First off, I felt I wasn’t getting the entire story about these protests so I wanted to check it out for myself. There was an encampment of protesters at Mary Washington University but I failed to see it despite walking through the campus almost every day. But I didn’t do that last Saturday night when local police arrested 12 protesters. They were arrested for merely setting up tents on the lawn.
I wanted to see these protests for myself, so on Tuesday, I took a train to DC to check out the protest at George Washington University.
I kept hearing about violence and antisemitism at these protests, and I’m sure there’s been some of that, but I wasn’t seeing it on TV or online. I saw one cartoon by Michael Ramirez claiming the protests have been violent. And then, he doubled-down and drew a cartoon that went from hyperbole into lies.
At GWU, I didn’t see the signs that are in Ramirez’s cartoon. I didn’t see any signs saying, “Support terror,” “We heart terrorists,” We support Hamas,” “We side with evil,” or “We ignore Oct. 7th atrocities.” I haven’t been to every campus so I can only report what I saw at GWU but Michael, have you even been to one campus during these protests? Maybe if you did then you wouldn’t have to make shit up and be a lying McLying Pants. Ramirez lives in the Los Angeles area and could fairly easily check out the situation for himself at UCLA. Will he draw a cartoon about the Jewish protesters who attacked the pro-Palestinian protesters? Don’t hold your breath.
What a lot of my right-wing colleagues either don’t understand or are lying about is that calling for Israel to stop dropping bombs on children playin foosball doesn’t mean you support terrorists. Hating Netanyahu and his fascist government doesn’t make you antisemitic. I have Jewish friends who hate Netanyahu and his fascist government and trust me, they don’t like Hamas either. I could put it this way: If you are against these protests then you must support Israel murdering babies. But, I don’t do that beause I’m not dishonest like you.
I’m not giving these student carte blanche and I’ll be fair. I did see a few “from the river to the sea” chalk writings here and there. I did see one sign that read, “Comrade Water Bottle says: All cops are bonkable.” I disagree with throwing water bottles at cops. I disagree with taking over buildings. I disagree with not letting students cross through encampments to get to their classes. I disagree with threats and bullying. I wholeheartedly disavow antisemitism and Islamophobia. And I especially want to state that everyone who’s not a student but protesting, get the fuck off the campus.
Also, if your discomfort is only because you saw a Palestinian flag, then pull your pants up, wipe your nose, and get on with your life.
I will also note that a lot of these kids are a bunch of entitled obnoxious and arrogant turds. I couldn’t get one to talk to me about what they were protesting and they were extremely rude about being questioned about anything. I thought maybe it was just me or the situation at GWU, but I saw it last night when a reporter for CNN encountered the same problem. These kids want their voices heard but they don’t want their voices heard.
One young female told me at GWU that she wasn’t comfortable talking about what she was protesting, but she’s comfortable protesting. Hopefully in college, she learns what a contradiction is. She wouldn’t even admit she was protesting while holding a sign. Her only statement about protesting was, “I’m here.”
That said, I admire and support their protest for their schools to end all business relationships with the state of Israel until it stops bombing civilians in Gaza. They just don’t have to be entitled snots about it. If you’re working to make people uncomfortable, then maybe you can deal with the discomfort of explaining your actions.
Protests are supposed to make people uncomfortable. Protests should be about resistance. I think that if the protesters are doing what I saw at GWU, harmlessly occupying a green space and not taking over buildings, restricting access, or engaging in violence, then they should be left alone. In fact, they should be encouraged.
Plus, these kids are Generation Z, which is worse than Millenials. It’s the same group a lot of adults say are entitled and pampered babies who turned out this way from growing up without any discipline. If that’s the case, then you don’t need cops or an army to bust them up.
Just put some loudspeakers on the back of a truck and lead them away by playing Taylor Swift. It’ll work.
Signed prints: The signed prints are just $40.00 each. Every cartoon on this site is available. You can pay through PayPal. If you don’t like PayPal, you can snail mail it to Clay Jones, P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402. I can mail the prints directly to you or if you’re purchasing as a gift, directly to the person you’re gifting.
Tales From The Trumpster Fire: I have five copies and you can order yours, signed by me, for $45.00. You can pay through PayPal to clayjonz@gmail.com. You can also snail it to P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402.
Knee-Deep In Mississippi: There are only 16 copies left of my first book, published in 1997. These can be purchased for $40.00
Tip Jar: If you want to support the cartoonist, please send a donation through PayPal to clayjonz@gmail.com. You can also snail it to P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402.
Watch me draw:
CLAYTOONZ 
As someone who spent my teens and early 20’s protesting the Viet Nam war – and lots of other things – I remember Kent State well. I’m always proud of the example that I (hopefully) set for others by peacefully protesting and making my voice heard. My parents always encouraged us to do that, allowing us to miss school for major events in our area. My dad, a WWII vet, counseled conscientious objectors until he was in his 80’s but continued to support his local Veterans for Peace and other peace groups until he died in his mid-90’s. My step-mom still supports them. I love seeing the peaceful protesters lately doing what they can to make their voices heard and improve our world! Kudos to them. Thank you for this great ‘toon, Clay. It’s a wonderful reminder of the horror than can happen when a too-heavy hand is used.
LikeLiked by 4 people
I suppose if WaPo gives space to columnists like Marc Theissen, it has to do same for Ramirez. Oh well.
LikeLike
May 4,1970
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sorry. Had no idea a song would be banned from being heard by seniors! (Orchildren!))
LikeLiked by 1 person
It wasn’t banned – I clicked right through and heard it. I’ve been hearing it over and over in my head for a few days anyway, but it was a nice (in a very sad way) compilation of photos with it. Thank you for posting that.
LikeLike
When I sent the video, a very honest compilation of photos, it came up on my tablet as “This video
is age-restricted andonly avsilable on YouTube.”
Must be that Canada-US border tning again.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It said that for me, too, but I still got to see it and didn’t even have to prove my age! 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
😇
LikeLiked by 1 person
I remember Kent State and students taking over buildings at other universities, the Weathermen, SDS and I don’t know what other groups. It was unsettling but I remember most of the protests being nonviolent, Ghandi and Martin Luther King were front and center in memory and example then.
LikeLiked by 2 people
On 14-15 May, 1970, a few days after Kent State, two students at Jackson State, an HBCU, were murdered by the police. Two were killed and more than a dozen injured as police (state and local) fired a barrage lasting more than 30 seconds into a group of unarmed students standing in front of a dormitory. The reason given by the police for confronting the students was a truck burning several blocks away, off campus. No connection has ever been shown between the truck fire and the students. While Kent State caused a national outcry, Jackson State was mostly ignored. Can’t for the life of me figure out why.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t remember that at all – how awful! I suspect it got buried under the story of Kent State. So much truly senseless violence has gone on in this worlds (and continues, unfortunately). 😦
LikeLiked by 1 person
On May 1, 1970 there was a demonstration in D.C. protesting the recent revelation of the secret bombing of Cambodia (same thing that brought about the demonstrations at Kent State) and I went to sleep in the student union at GWU, which had been opened for the demonstrators. It was the beginning of what were called the Days of Rage. In my case, I was running through the street away from a contingent of US Marshals who were randomly firing tear gas canisters, when someone I had known in high school called my name. He was wearing a gas mask and motorcycle helmet and directed me to the Union. Haven’t seen him since.
Around 2 in the morning, after things had quieted down, and most people in the Union were asleep. While we slept, martial law was declared, the police fired tear gas into the crowded building. A crowd came pouring out onto the street. Several thousand were arrested and we were housed in RFK Stadium with no shelter, water or food for a couple of days. Two or three days later, Kent State happened. And 10 days after that, Jackson State.
For those, like Clay Jones, who call out protestors for going too far in the occupation of buildings by student protesters, I’d point out that the revelations of complicity between major research universities and the Pentagon would have continued as suspicions and nothing more, had students at Columbia not occupied Hamilton and Mathematics, where offices of university administrators were -admittedly- ransacked and documents found, copied and released to the press. The embarrassment to the administrators was extreme. So, too, was the police reaction. Grayson Kirk, who shall live in infamy was President of Columbia University at the time and had denied any Pentagon connections. I’m not certain that the past week’s occupation of Hamilton was symbolic or if they were trying to find proof of renewed complicity.
While I don’t entirely agree with the contemporary protests – being struck by how poorly informed are the current generation of protestors – I am in support of their empathy with the Palestinian people’s suffering and their horror at the retributive overreaction of the Israeli government to the barbarous attacks of 7 October.
LikeLiked by 3 people