It is always good for any society or country when its younger people overcome various constraints and considerations of their own narrow interests to stand up for peace with justice, and so it is for the USA today. It is all the more encouraging that this is happening in some other western countries as well. In the present world system western policies and public opinion can be the most impactful, and if students can change these in the direction of peace with justice, as they did at the time of the protests against the Vietnam War, then this will be a very great achievement indeed.
With or without such success, any such noble efforts must always have our support and appreciation. While the final decision must always be made by the more spirited younger people, perhaps in consultation with those of their teachers who have their true respect for standing up for truth, suggestions made by other well-meaning people deserve consideration too.
As counter-actions to spread misconceptions about such noble efforts are bound to be there, backed by a lot of resources, university movements can set up a joint panel, if not a co-ordination committee, to release a joint statement of their beliefs and intentions. This should state that the movement basically stands for very early resolution of Gaza conflict based on immediate permanent ceasefire, release of all Israeli hostages, release of most Palestinian prisoners and a huge, adequate relief and rehabilitation effort for the people of Gaza within Gaza, and ending of aggression in West Bank too. They should condemn both the ongoing Israeli assault on the people of Gaza and the October 7 Hamas attack. They should express commitment to the two-state solution. They should clearly say that they stand for the welfare equally of the people of Palestine and Israel, they only oppose the aggressive policies of Israel. They should clearly express their complete commitment to non-violence, and add that if in the heat of the moment some breach of this commitment has taken place then they are sorry for this.
In addition, of course, they should add those aspects of their demands, which are likely to differ for various universities, which are related to the links of various universities to various corporate or other interests involved in aggressive policies, weapons supply and assaults against the Palestinian people. Loose use of slogans which can be interpreted to be against the entire Israeli nation or against people of any religion should be avoided.
Such a clear expression of beliefs and precepts will strengthen the students’ movement and can bring it wider support from not just students, faculty members and university workers, but in addition also from other sections of society.
There is growing need for a non-partisan, evidence-based peace movement in the west. This should link up local and even individual concerns with global and national concerns. There is a lot of violence within and around most people, and this is often a cause of much distress in ways which are only partially understood generally. This manifests in various ways such as bullying, child abuse, domestic violence, sexual violence, emotional violence, group-violence and self-violence. The peace movement can help to reduce all this significantly and hence contribute significantly to reducing human distress. This makes it possible to mobilize more people for wider peace issues such as disarmament and minimizing the possibilities of war, conflict and terrorism. In addition there is much to gain from linking the peace movement more closely to movements for environment protection, equality and justice, and real democracy.
It is in the context of this wider need for such strengthening of peace movement at various levels that the wider relevance of ongoing university protests should be seen. To have more durable and wider impact, these university protests must evolve into longer term commitments to the cause of peace with justice. At a practical level, instead of expending all their energy ad effort in a very fierce involvement that lasts for only a few days, the young people should prepare for a longer-term commitment to peace as the movement for peace with justice needs their ideals and dedication not just for a few days but for several years.
Hence those ways of expressing their commitment to the people of Gaza which are successful without involving too much of confrontation on daily basis must be found. A daily, entirely peaceful large gathering for just a few minutes—just about 15 minutes or so– which disperses after quickly singing a peace prayer or a solidarity song and a very short speech or announcement, may be one idea. Just singing for one minute a few lines of a peace song before starting any class (only if all students of the class agree) can be another idea. This sort of activities expressing commitment and solidarity can involve a very large number of students over a very long time, if needed. Meanwhile the smaller number of students who can devote more time, can take up other work too, apart from organizational responsibilities.
The students’ movement can also grow by taking up demands relating to welfare of students which are highly justified, such as reducing in a big and sustainable way the burden of student debt.
Bharat Dogra is Honorary Convener, Campaign to Save Earth Now. His recent books include Protecting Earth for Children, Planet in Peril, Earth without Borders and A Day in 2071.
