this post was submitted on 08 May 2024
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A serious red line has been crossed: America’s democratic freedoms, expansive on paper, will simply not tolerate serious dissent on the U.S.–Israel relationship. As criticisms of Israel have become more mainstream, the attempt to shut them down entirely has become more extreme.

In pursuit of this blank-check relationship with an Israeli government that is becoming ever-more intransigent with each passing year, pro-Israel forces in the U.S. are attacking our own democratic freedoms in order to suppress public outcry about apartheid and potential genocide 6,000 miles away. And, if the recent campus crackdowns are any indication, these forces are winning their battle.

With tens of thousands of Palestinians left dead and the Israeli assault on Gaza ongoing, the U.S. protests targeting university ties with Israel over the last month — voluble and outspoken — have been overwhelmingly nonviolent.

Yet these nonviolent protests have met with the full brutal force of the U.S. security state. Dispersing the protest encampments, police have viciously beaten protesters, fired rubber bullets, and enveloped students in dense clouds of tear gas.

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[–] cyborganism@lemmy.ca 62 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (2 children)

Anyone remember the war in Iraq? How people criticizing that war were treated as anti patriotic?

[–] disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world 58 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (1 children)

I protested that ~~Halliburton cash grab~~ war and it was rough. People young and old would treat us as if we were pissing on the flag. Still waitin’ on them WMDs Dubya!

[–] WhyDoYouPersist@lemmy.world 24 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Thank you for your service!

[–] disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world 23 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (2 children)

It was unfortunately fruitless. That’s when I learned that Republicans don’t listen to protesters. They just vilify them in the news and call the police. Now we know they don’t even flinch at an insurrection. They may even call you a patriot.

[–] Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world 5 points 6 months ago (1 children)

That’s when I learned that Republicans don’t listen to protesters.

The best part was in 2006 when Democrats retook congress and demonstrated that they were just as much a rubber stamp for war as Republicans had been.

[–] disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world 7 points 6 months ago (6 children)

The US pulled out of Iraq in 2007.

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[–] masquenox@lemmy.world 1 points 6 months ago

That’s when I learned that Republicans don’t listen to protesters.

I distinctly remember the way liberals enthusiastically villified antifa when they were the only ones willing to throw down with the neo-nazis and their police protectors in the streets a few years ago. Stop pretending that liberals' overtly fascist cousins are the only anti-democratic faction in the US political establishment.

[–] Zaktor@sopuli.xyz 36 points 6 months ago (3 children)

What a photo. A guy clad head to toe in black squared up with a club in front of the ruins of a protest, the only color in his uniform a big gold star and an American flag.

Why do they have flags on their uniform? Is someone going to mistake which country they're in? Are they soldiers at war? Bringing righteous patriotism into a career that mostly attacks US citizens is a really chilling idea.

Cops don't have any direct association with America as a whole. They're a civilian organization employed and directed by local officials. I believe those are California Highway Patrol officers. If they absolutely have to wear a flag, they can have a bear.

[–] Drivebyhaiku@lemmy.world 5 points 6 months ago

It seems they are utilizing it the way people on the right do. If you are queer for instance and you come across a gathering where a bunch of people are flying the stars and stripes you remove yourself from that situation because those people are almost always not safe. Those people have used it as a symbol of fear and intimidation wrapped up cloak of patriot rhetoric for a good decade now.

[–] lolcatnip@reddthat.com 5 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

The flag is being used as a symbol of government authority. Governments are big on symbols (YT link) because they work.

[–] crusa187@lemmy.ml 1 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Is that a Star of David? Oof…

[–] Zaktor@sopuli.xyz 1 points 6 months ago

No, it's a seven-pointed star used by the CHP.

[–] Kanda@reddthat.com 16 points 6 months ago

Of course the US will have democracy, it's just that poor people having it would be bad for the US

[–] masquenox@lemmy.world 6 points 6 months ago

You know what they say... fascism is just colonialism coming home to roost.

[–] bluewing@lemm.ee 5 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Israel itself means little to the US. It's merely the conduit through which the US Geo-political power gets channeled through in the Middle East at the moment. The moment that Israel become more burden than value, they will be dropped and abandoned like many of nations/regions across the planet.

[–] SkyezOpen@lemmy.world 4 points 6 months ago (1 children)

That's not even it though. The US has so many military bases around the world that Israel is hardly worth maintaining a presence in, much less giving them billions in aid a year. I don't think the US even used Israel for any significant staging for the gulf war and they were all but involved.

[–] bluewing@lemm.ee 5 points 6 months ago (1 children)

It is still the focal point of US presence in the middle east for all the surrounding nations. Israel is synonymous with US power in the region.

[–] SkyezOpen@lemmy.world 1 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Only because the US is their babysitter and sugar daddy.

[–] bluewing@lemm.ee 2 points 6 months ago (1 children)

The same can be said of any place the US has a political/military presence.

[–] SkyezOpen@lemmy.world 5 points 6 months ago

No. The US has given 100 billion more to Israel than any other country since WWII, while receiving basically no assistance in any military action aside from using space. Israel is uniquely coddled.

[–] masquenox@lemmy.world 2 points 6 months ago

It’s merely the conduit through which the US Geo-political power gets channeled through in the Middle East at the moment.

Well... there's always Saudi Arabia - another shining example of "succesful" US foreign policy.

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