US political commentator Lauren Chen has blasted the pro-Palestine chaos gripping campuses across America, arguing it is “marxist ideology running amok”.
She joined Mark Dolan on GBN America to give her take on the demonstrations that have resulted in some universities and colleges being forced to step in and cancel classes.
Chen says the recent problems are “symptomatic” of a bigger picture on campuses as she criticised the message behind the demonstrations.
“I’m hesitant to say anti-Israel is exclusively hard Left”, she said.
Lauren Chen has blasted pro-Palestine demonstrations
GETTY / GB NEWS
“When we look at the leftists’ opposition to Israel specifically, we do see that it is couched in the terms of ‘colonisers, oppressor versus oppressed’.
“They also bring in racial aspects, apparently Jews are white-coded in these people’s minds.
“They view this conflict as an extension of the white vs brown historical struggle they speak about a lot in relation to European and American politics.
“I guess this is just the latest example of what happens when Marxist ideology runs amok.
“Even if you are sympathetic to the Palestinian cause, the goal for these students is not to just have a peaceful resolution, ‘lets try to use diplomacy going forward’ they are absolutely calling for the dismantling of the Israeli state on the grounds it is a settler, colonialist, racist project.
“There is a lot of anti-Israel sentiment that is very particular to the woke left.
Pro-Palestine protests in New YorkReuters
Lauren Chen joined Mark Dolan on GBN America
GBN AMERICA
“There are maybe some well-meaning people out there who see what is happening in Gaza and are sympathetic to that.
“I fear there is a chance these people might ally themselves with these extreme college students who may be pro-Hamas and are doing this for anti-liberty values which are absolutely couched in Marxism.”
Last week, some 108 arrests were made at Emerson College, Boston police told CBS News.
Activists are demanding universities “divest from genocide” by halting their investment in companies involved in weapons manufacturing and other industries supporting Israel’s war in Gaza.
Israel has strongly denied any suggestion it is committing genocide in the Palestinian enclave despite the International Court of Justice saying the accusation was “plausible”.
The war began when Hamas-led gunmen carried out a terror attack on southern Israel on 7 October, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians.