"I'm Frightened Of My Peers" | Debate On Anti-Israel Student Protests

the White House has condemned what it calls blatantly anti-semitic statements at student protests against the war in Gaza fract demonstrations at Columbia University of New York who rumbled on for six days while arrests have been made at other major colleges including Yale Jewish students at Colombia have been warned to go home with classes moved online some Pro Palestine Pro protesters have been suspended critics say this is a free speech issue conflating criticism of Israel with hatred of Jews others say it's simply unacceptable that Jewish students do not feel safe I discuss all this are the editor of the Yale Free Press Sahar tatak who was jabbed in the eye with a Palestinian flag by a protester the Arab Israeli journalist Yousef Hadad who was assaulted at a protest at Columbia University the host of breaking points crystal ball and author of go back to where you come from vajat Ali well welcome to all of you and let me start with you if I may uh Saha tell me exactly what happened to you sure so I went to to a large anti-semitic campus rally on Saturday night to document the protest with another visibly Jewish friend he wears a black hat and seat seit which are ritual fringes and has a beard and I dress in ritually modest clothing and wear a starve David and we were immediately identified by protest organizers as I guess the enemy and so they blockaded Us by creating a human blockade as in stand standing in a line with their arms linked in front of us and eventually Nile and I were separated and so each of us were assigned separate human blockades made of protest organizers that taunted us and waved flashlights in our face and as the other 500 anti-semitic students at the rally noticed us and identified us they joined in on the taunting and so I was encircled by 500 students who were singing and dancing against the Jewish people in a circle around this Plaza at Yale basically the Central Plaza on our campus and as they taunted me and waved their middle finger in my face and waved their cias in my face one of them took his Palestinian flag waved it in my face and then jabbed me in the left eye and you ended up going to hospital for treatment for this I did so first I tried to run after the as salent it was extremely disorienting and the human blockade continued to stand in front of me to prevent me from holding the student accountable and to protect the student from receiving consequences for assaulting me and so then I went to the police who called an ambulance the EMT checked me out and then the EMT said we should take you to the hospital and so I went to the hospital okay and we've got a little clip I think it's not actually of you getting hit with the uh by the the flag it's just of the general melee let's take a look at this this is the blockade that um was going on at the time there's no sound with this uh clip but it it shows a little sense of what was happening how scared were you about what was happening and in response to those who say that the vast majority of protesters are not anti-semitic and are simply protesting about the Israeli government's uh response to the herass Terror attacks uh which they believe is massive massively disproportionate what do you say to that so with the question of how I was feeling I think can also answer the second question the reason I felt so unsafe is because I know that these students want me dead and I know that they know who I am and how do I know this because they shout on mass there is only one solution into F Revolution at these rallies they shout about Martyrs they shout about resistance is Justified I mean after October 7th I saw hundreds of peers people from my classes shouting resistance is Justified and celebrating the resistance's success is something that many of them posted on social media so with this in mind of course I feel unsafe because I know that they support genocide against the Jewish people by terrorist organization organizations such as Hamas but not only by Hamas there's another picture at this rally and the rally has become a multi-day event which included an encampment like a set of 40 or so tents taking over campus and one of the posters at this rally is a poster of wed Dhaka who with he led a pflp group to mutilate and murder a 19-year-old Israeli Jew okay let's bring in vaj Ali vaj this is very disconcerting seeing these on college campuses in America you know I'm all for free speech it's the Bedrock of peers Morgan onent is what we're all about but free speech should not involve Jewish students being terrorized with this kind of rhetoric which you know it we've seen and heard it all with our own eyes and ears that there are people involved in these protests who are chanting things which would present a real threat and danger to Jewish students it's acceptable isn't it it is unacceptable and first of all I would say happy Passover to all Jewish cousins around the world who are celebrating hopefully there's peace and security for all our communities I'll also say like I said on your show before there's been a stunning spike in anti-Semitism and islamophobia as a result of this war which has resulted in harassment uh threats doxing and in the case of three Palestinian students there were shot one is paralyzed and a six-year-old Palestinian boy wadia was killed his mother was stabbed in this particular case right now I feel really bad for our two guests uh who were subject to violence uh who I'm sure are traumatized I'm grateful that no one has any permanent damage or injury and I would hope that we can all agree here that anti-Semitism islamophobia is a problem has no place in these protests but we can also agree that we could have empathy for why people are protesting overwhelming majority of them by the way are peaceful according to law enforcement according to actual reporters on the ground who are not anti-Semitic and many of these protesters by the way are Jewish and why are they protesting peers because they're protesting what they consider to be genocide some do and the Israel killing 34,000 Palestinians you're absolutely attached from reality I'm I don't know what you're you said I'll come to you in just let me finish not what it is I'm sorry lie to the viewers you said let him make his point be honest I will come to you to respond in a moment let him finish his point just I'm about to finish I'm about to finish uh what are people protesting including Jews Jewish students they're protesting Israel's response to 12200 people being killed by Hamas so we should have empathy for Israelis and the 1200 people and their families being killed and the 34,000 Palestinians who have been killed the 70,000 Palestinians who have been injured 1 million people have been displaced and also as we have seen we can have empathy because there are kids who are amputated kids who have lost their eyes their limbs we have seen starvation now famine and this is why there's a growing pier multifaith and multi-racial movement for peace and I think all of us should also be very wor wary very wary of people who are weaponizing anti-Semitism people who are weaponizing anti-Semitism to crush this crush this descent especially people like Elise stefanic a republican who promotes anti-semitic conspiracy theories like the replacement Theory and says nothing about Donald Trump who DED with the leading white National an anti-semite Nick FES and just today in the morning again repeated the anti-semitic conspiracy of a Soros Witch Hunt so let's all agree that anti-Semitism should not be weaponized Jews and Muslims should not be weaponized and used against each other and that anti-Semitism and islamophobia goity peaceful protest I want to go to youf youf Hadad to remind viewers you're an Arab Israeli journalist you assaulted at a protest at Columbia University on Thursday we have got a clip showing a little of this incident K commit suicide commit suicide run traffic jump off a building you can do whatever the I'm not going anywhere I will keep reveal the truth about all of you why you so close so we we see you clearly there being uh being struck by one of these protesters uh but you're getting very insens by what you're hearing from vaj so what do you want to say look first of all you can see exactly who are the peaceful protest they are they are they want freedom of speech when it only come to one side but if it's our freedom of speech to for me to come as an Arab who lives in Israel to show the reality about our life in Israel now yes Israel is far from being perfect just like any other country in the world but between what they are telling and how they are presenting this conflict to the reality in Israel there's a huge gap which I cannot cannot agree to now when I go and I was supposed to have a lecture at Colombia University that's why I was there and then I see this protest where they chanting from The River To The Sea Palestine will be free by the way in Arabic it sounds different in Arabic it says from from The River To The Sea Palestine is an Arab so it even further than that shows their idea on the fact that there is no room for the state of Israel the only true democracy in the Middle East add to that that exactly the chant of intifada I know what intifada mean as an Arab I know what antifa mean not just as a right translation of violent Uprising antifa means the more death of Jews the more death of Arabs that's what in means and they're chanting for that and when I ask why you're chanting for this it will will lead to more death in the land of Israel it will lead more death in Gaza in the West Bank and they say to me well this is what we want of course that's what they want they eventually at the end of that Rally or that end of that demonstration they go back they go there to their pop they drink their beer or they do whatever they want they live in a democracy they're not the one that suffer consequences in the Middle East they're just doing all this from here very convenient but you know something that I found it very very unbelievable uh you know all the time talking about the majority of course there are peaceful people there are also people who are locals who are being brainwashed and don't realize what they're chanting and don't even know which river to which sea and what ises in mean but the there are many protesters who are violent protesters just see how you you uh described me and how did you did you say my name with the fact that I was attacked you will never see someone from the Palestinian side says that he was attacked by a Jewish or a pro-israeli demonstrator this is the thing that people are try always to take it for islamophobia to take it for anti-Semitism this is something very simple you have their group of people supporting terrorism and instead of the other group who are peacefully protesting coming against them and say that they are not part of us they are protecting them they are trying to do absolutely everything to defend them look at my attacker through the whole entire demonstration he was without any cover the second he decided to attack me he covered his face why what did he decide to go face because he knows that he is going to attack me because he cannot handle the truth and he cannot handle it especially when it comes from someone who's an Arab who lives in there and knows exactly the reality so don't let anybody fool fool anybody these are dangerous protesters and the more the NYPD suffer that or tolerate that they're going to keep being more extreme and they're going to be physically more attacking there were cups over there and it did not stop him from attack me cups Just 3 MERS from me I mean how can we even agree to something like that so I'm seeking for justice and I've asked and I've asked I've already appointed aord through the uh uh uh lawfare project uh to seek for justice we know the identity of the attacker and we should be we should see him in jail and we should seek for justice as soon as possible in order to prevent them for trying something like this again and again against other people okay I want to bring in uh Crystal you replied on X to the White House statement about the protests at Colombia uh by saying they are more upset about college students protesting and genocide than a population of millions being after death um I mean I can listen I believe fundamentally in the right to free Democratic protest I mean it's the Bedrock of any free Democratic country but I don't believe in violent hate retoric and if you're a Jewish student at one of these colleges hearing some of these chants which we're all hearing uh it's pretty terrifying isn't it well here's what I would say first of all I echo wajad in saying I'm glad that that both of our two co- panelists are um okay and I certainly support the call for justice for uh ysf and I hope his as salent is in fact apprehended and accountability is Meed out I think it's disgusting and frankly a cheap trick to use some isolated incidents to smear an entire protest movement and I think it's very clear what's going on here you know a majority of young people and a majority of college students majority of Biden voters believe that Israel is committing a genocide and that American taxpayer dollars are going to assist in that genocide they're outraged by that and they're protesting and by the way they protects Jews and Arabs you are clearly lying again and again protects Arabs and Jews am I going to am I going to be allowed to speak here okay so a majority of young speak over Israel is committing a genocide and they are protesting that and by the way they've won the argument if you look at now it's 6040 against sending military aid to Israel it's a majority that disapprove in America of Israel's action with regards to the Gaza Strip so it's a cheap trick As Old As Time use a few isolated incidents to try to smear an entire movement which has the benefit number one of attempting to delegitimize it and number two of distracting from the continued atrocities which are unfolding holding at the hands of the IDF in the Gaza Strip we just had multiple attacks on Rafa 22 people killed including 18 children we just had another Mass grave discovered outside of a hospital in conun but rather than talking about that we're talking about a few you know at a protest yeah guess what exist I lament that as much as the next person but I don't remember this level of condemnation when it came to people with actual power saying hey we should Josh Holly let's bounce the rubble in Gaza Lindsey Graham let's level the place Max Miller we're going to turn that into a parking lot and on and on and on so this is listen I condemn anti-Semitism I certainly condemn violence but let's be serious about who the villains are right now would you agree that Hamas are villains the villains are the organization Hamas hang on I'm ask a question would you agree of course that Hamas are villains terrorists and so is the Israeli government given the number of civilians that they have intentionally targeted and killed including targeting with a Complete Siege which has triggered a famine in Northern Gaza and caused children to literally starve to death it's Collective punishment there's just no denying it okay um so let me bring you back this is absolutely lies Spirit but you cannot this is absolutely lies it's a lie on a line it's a narrative that was adopted by the terrorist organization Hamas this is what they want I'm telling you I I'm I'm I'm speaking to Palestinians and Gaza I don't know if uh if any of the people in this panel have a direct contact with Palestinians in Gaza I have many friends there and I speak to them and I also shared many videos of Palestinians who are calling the fact that Hamas are the one who responsible the Hamas hiding among among them and hiding under the the ground like cowards and it was Hamas who uses the hospitals and Hamas that uses mosks and also churches as bar Terror base there the Palestinians saying that and then you have some Americans come and say otherwise and talking about the the fine in in Gaza tons of Aid was entered to Israel through Egypt from also the uee from also Jordan tons of eight they are talking about showing how they are having food but those pictures you will not see you will not see them not in even in in in CNN or any other media because you don't want to adopt this n May jump in no no hang on one of the reasons that we're not seeing what you're describing is because the IDF won't let journalists go in and see what's going on so that is part of the problem but there can be no doubt there's a massive humanitarian crisis there all all that people are starving to death there's enough Tik Tok videos well if the IDF has nothing to hi wait a second don't talk over each other Palestinians themselves you if the IDF has nothing to hide there's videos if the IDF has nothing to hide let the media have complete Free Run let them see it for themselves they won't they won't and as far and as far as I concern as as far as I concerned they should be allowed all I'm saying is that you can go to Tik Tok on the Arab social media and you will see the Palestinian themselves uploading it okay you don't have of the I would rather I would rather see the media have access to check what he actually but I want to bring I want to bring for keep talking is a war zone because of Hamas I I want to bring in Saha as I said earlier sah you've had it categorized that there just a few people in these crowds who are uh chanting the bad stuff um and yet you have said that you know Jewish students feel very threatened I mean how many people are you here using these chants which are clear threats right so it's a good question it's it's just not a few people I have seen hundreds of students that I have classes with after October 7th we're talking October 9th chanting when people are occupied resistance is Justified in direct reference to the atrocities of October 7th and let's remember that we're talking about Kamas coming into people's houses and amputating mothers in front of to their children and gouging out father's eyes and that in the eyes of hundreds of my peers is Justified and the and just this weekend we're talking about hundreds of my peers shouting there is only one solution inata Revolution inata is a call to genocide against Jewish people this does not represent a minority and the protest organizers that were human blockading me are at the Forefront of their movement so it's not random unaffiliated people that are creating this unsafe environment it's actually the students that identified me immediately are running these rallies and decided that they were going to taunt and blockade me and restrict my freedom of movement and then cause the other 500 people in the rally to behave towards me with hostility and violence they all passed by me there's a video on my Twitter of students Passing By Me In A Circle as they encircled me and they all one after the other taunted me it was not just like one of them taunted me they all taunted me one after the other waving things in my face and then this culminated in a physical assault okay V let me let me just say that I just think there's a conflation going on here by a number of these protests I don't know how many because I haven't seen them physically myself um but I'm hearing it's it's a significant number that they seem to be conflating what the Israeli government is doing as a political decision which is to wage this war on Hamas and the way they're waging it with Jewish people generally uh and that and when you start using rhetoric which threatens the lives of Jewish people surely we can all agree that's completely unacceptable can't we absolutely and I'm glad you said that what you're hearing what you're hearing right so actually people on the ground right reporters on the ground journalists on the ground are saying that these are peaceful protests they not Witnesses and on the ground a lot of the protesters about a third of the protesters are Jewish and we are seeing Jewish Americans posting videos on Tik Tok like Ahmed said what are you talking about look at the muslims praying we're going to celebrate Shabbat it's a multifaith and multi-racial movement against what they consider to be a genocide they want peace they want if they're chanting about if they're chanting about in then they are chanting threats of genocide against the very people people they claim are waging a genocide are you are you suggesting that the Jewish students who are with these protesters are actually for their own genocide do you agree with the state of Israel that yesterday tweeted that they're terrorists the state of Israel yesterday said that American students a multi-racial multifaith coalition across this country that is overwhelmingly peacefully protesting according to the Jewish students themselves according to law enforcement and according to the media do you consider them to be terrorists I do not I think chanting about inter well I think if you're chanting about in and I've seen others talking proudly about backing Hamas then yeah you're supporting terrorism who who who who is supporting Hamas there's a few people isolated incidents and yesterday everyone should be take solace in this that yesterday the students organizing the protest in colia can you just let me finish yesterday this will make you yesterday answer answer the question the not one person two it's the whole student yesterday just let me finish yesterday when it all came out these four or five videos that came out gu who condemned them in full the protesters and then they said they're not part of the protest they're outside the school and then the Jews inside the protest movement are sending you videos saying that this does not represent us so I for one think that we should put the focus what are people saying reality they are against an ongoing Collective punishment against Palestinians that has killed over 34,000 people thanks to direct and support money from the United States they want they want peace and they went the end of an occupation I would think everyone here who believes in Justice and peace will be against an occupation and against a war that has been an utter failure for the past seven months that has brought no security Israelis or Palestinians why do you not join me in Crystal in saying an anti- antisemitism anti-islamophobia and for a ceasefire and the release of hostages do you agree that these protesters that include with you that we need to release all the hostages Israel tweeted that and only you after you release the the all the hostages we can talk about ceasefire by the way but Israel that these protesters are terrorists I really I really I really really find it very very amusing that you are saying that they are peaceful protesters while they chanting in in either you am students or you are lying or you are so brainwashed that you cannot even see the truth in front of your eyes the more of death of Jews and Arabs so when you chant like this with the whole group chanting like this that is the CH you agree that they should not as they do you agree that they shouldn't chant are you agreeing that they shouldn't chant from The River To The Sea Palestine will be free because that means the demolish of the state of Israel do you agree that anybody who wears a symb of chance let me bring let me bring in Crystal Crystal okay so first of all inata means Uprising from The River To The Sea somehow when it's you know Benjamin Netanyahu using that uh phraseology or holding up a map that literally shows Israel from The River To The Sea right question can you please dude just for a second what do you mean means uising have you seen have you seen the second you don't not from the Middle East suddenly that's over the line but let me just say listen people have a right to be offended by whatever do off speak that's his right guess what she's not even means you can respond after let us speak unbelievable free speech is not just about speech that is comfortable free speech is also about speech that is uncomfortable and yes even offensive which is why you know uh Brian Mast who said there's no such thing as an innocent Palestinian civilian a member of Congress who's in an actual position of power or the many Israeli officials who talked about Palestinians are human animals no uninvolved civilians amalec all of these things I support their right to say it it's condemnable I think it's very revealing I think it is genocidal but free speech also protects statements that you find to be uncomfortable here's the question Crystal for you one last one last thing Piers okay let me just say one one last thing I think we know that this isn't a genuine conversation about Jewish student safety because we see Zero concern for the many Jewish students who are at the F in fact at the center of these protests somehow they're invisibilized and your right pi to point out your right Piers to point out that it is anti-Semitic to conflate all Jews with the state of Israel and with the policies of the state of Israel I also ask Crystal I'm not a Jew hang onf I'm not a Jew and I'm telling you perious I'm not a Jew I'm not a Jew and I say it and I will say it all the time never generalize a a group of people of course they are part of the Jewish christianizing genal anti not talk over each other you just to clarify to clarify for viewers you to clarify for viewers you are Arab Israeli but you're Christian is that right correct okay so I wanted to ask I want to ask the fact is I want to ask Crystal one question about inter can you tell me about an inter that wasn't a violent Uprising during the 75 years of this conflict listen you can uh support the uh nonviolent parts of an uprising and condemn the violent parts that was my question my question was can you can you tell me can you tell me any in in the 75 years of this conflict that hasn't involved a violent Uprising so that when somebody who is Jewish hears the word in they don't automatically think violent Uprising because they've all been violent I think that's fair Pi I think that's a fair point now the first inat I would point out was overwhelmingly peaceful but that doesn't erase the fact that there were violent acts that's why I said listen if you're offended by the rally chance that's okay it's still Free Speech but I think to smear this entire protest group of saying they have a violent intent you can ask the the NYPD uh Chief who arrested protesters at Columbia he literally said they were all nonviolent so I just think this is such a clear attempt to distra distract from what's happening in Gaza and try to change a conversation and debate that has been lost by those who would say listen Israel no matter what and we're going to support them and ship weapons no matter what well I think I would just say before I come to you before I come to Yousef I would say this that uh vaj you do keep talking about peaceful protest but actually if you are chanting things like inada at a bunch of Jewish people then they are not going to see that as a message of Peace they're going to see that as a direct threat on their lives so they're not that's not a peaceful protest to me well the thing is this people also are terrified of the from the words Allah abbar it means something different even the word martyrs when it comes to Islam means to those who were killed this includes the children who have been killed the women the pregnant moms who have been killed the 34,000 people have been killed we've seen the weaponization of islamophobia where certain words are deliberately mistranslated and misinterpreted and we've also seen again the overwhelming majority of these protesters are not saying these things we have videos of them they include Jews they include black people white people Christians Muslim and meanwhile Israel calls them absolutely terrorist isra call them terrorist by the way please let me finish I know you're on the losing side of the argument because you're I have no idea if you were at columia demonstration outside the colia university they were shouting they were calling me to commit suicide they attacked me physically and verbally don't lie it wasn't one or two or three it was a large group of people and what you're trying to do is lying to the audience and I will not allowing not allow it don't lie I'm the the one who was attack stoping everybody don't try to Sugar let him finish his point I'll come I think the people just listen Pierce people on the ground right you've said this before I've heard this people on the ground reporters from NBC who were there reporters from CNN not anti-semites did not hear this they overwhelmingly peaceful Jewish neighbors Jewish faculty members Jewish students have said this is a m mischaracterization of Our Community campus halel campus L the center of student life in Columbia told students not to leave although they said that they want to feel safe and they they want okay I would say back to you say back to you hang also seen I would say back to you that rabbi Eli buter I think is the or buler told students at Columbia on Sunday over WhatsApp the events of the last few days especially last night have made it clear that Columbia University's Public Safety and the NYPD cannot guarantee Jewish student safety in the face of extreme anti-Semitism and Anarchy it deeply pains me to say I would strongly recommend you return home as soon as possible and remain home until the reality in and around campus has dramatically improved it's not our job as Jews to ensure our own safety on campus no one should have to endure his level of hatred let alone at school that's a rabbi at Columbia University this is these are not just peaceloving people spewing peaceful rhetoric there are people in these protests who are making very threatening chance towards Jewish people to the extent that rabbis are telling Jewish students to stay at home that's a complete outrage isn't it the and who responded and who responded after the rabbi the campus halel and if you know anything about Jewish American life you should trust campus halel is the center of Jewish life campus Hal afterward said no Jewish students do not go home so campus Hal should be more trusted right now and the Jewish students who are Again part of this peaceful protest I want toind everyone what happen run fight stop looking at it as if it's not n Unleashed against if they go home and the police themselves said that these peaceful extremist to expel Jews or pro- Israelis that is the truth why want to go canot Sil multi multiracial protest is the collective punishment against let me bring all right let me bring let okay let me bring back s hang on hang if you talk over each other nobody can hear either no one can hear either of you when you shout over each who knows exactly what they are doing nobody will hear you when you shout over people so sah I want to just ask you what are you going to do as a as a Jewish student now what will you do in the next few days and weeks yeah thank you for asking um God willing this evening I'll be home and not on campus for the holiday of Passover and when I return to campus I've made a serious effort to receive direct protection from the University and have an escort on a regular basis but the university has in the past failed and is continuing to not provide me with that direct protection and so to be really quite honest with you I don't know what I will do because I have seen hundreds of students organized to call for the genocide of me and my people and I have seen hundreds of students taunt visibly Jewish students live and in person at these rallies my my peers are I'm frightened by them to be frank and I should be because I've been assaulted once and I don't see why it shouldn't happen again because it's being organized and encouraged and protected by the rallies themselves and by the rally organizers themselves again when a student assaulted Me by jabbing me in the eye what happened afterwards was that the human blockade of protest organizers of student leaders in these anti-semitic rallies that blockade stopped me from finding out who my as salent was it's all about violence it's all about having a student assault another student and then ensuring that they have immunity because their face is covered in a CAA and because you let them run away this is how these protests are crafted to create incidents of violence against students like me and then say oh it wasn't us it was someone unaffiliated but we protected them but they're a student at the University but we let them into our rally and we let them stay at our rally it's a method and it works obviously okay we got to leave it there I appreciate the passions are running high on either side and I appreciate the spirited debate thank you all very much thank you thank you sh

Channel: Piers Morgan Uncensored

Views: 515,971

Keywords: piers morgan, piers morgan uncensored, interview, debate, piers morgan debate, piers morgan interview, israel, palestine, gaza, hamas, protests, colombia protest, pro-palestine protest, student protest, jewish, piers morgan israel debate, piers morgan palestine debate, Sahar Tartak, Krystal Ball, Wajahat Ali, Yoseph Haddad

Id: jivPG24QG8k

Length: 35min 43sec (2143 seconds)

Published: Mon Apr 22 2024