Campus protesters roiling colleges across the nation are part of a generation shaped by the pandemic, who grew up isolated and angered by school shut-downs and social distancing and are desperate to find a connection, community and a voice, experts told The Post.
The pro-Palestinian cause allows discontented youth to express “long-withheld rage,” said forensic psychiatrist Carole Lieberman. It gives them an “opportunity to identify with the ‘oppressed’ against ‘oppressors.'”
in the past week, starting with embattled Columbia University and stretching as far as Texas and Atlanta. Jewish students have reported feeling harassed and unsafe on campus as protesters chant things like, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
It appears the young demonstrators don’t have a full understanding of the movement they’ve aligned themselves with, Lieberman said.
“The worst example of ignorance is that the protesters do not know that terrorists want global jihad — not just to destroy Israel,” Lieberman added. They also don’t know what they are saying, when they chant, “From the river to the sea,” the psychiatrist said of the death-to-Israel phrase.
Two Columbia students participating in an anti-Israel rally at NYU went viral when footage was shared by former Mayor Rudy Giuliani late Wednesday. They admitted they had no idea what the protest was about, and wished they were “more educated.”
Another relic of the pandemic has become a common sight at protests and college encampments: masks.
While most of the country has moved on from Covid-19 protections, protesters are clinging to the facial fashion as a sign of fear of the virus, as well a bid to shield their identities, reported online news outlet Semafor, which noted the prevalence of covered faces in the current wave of demonstrations.
A large group of people stand facing the steps of the library on Columbia University's campus.
Students are releasing anger at protests, an expert said.
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