As pro-Hamas, anti-Israel protests continue to rage across America’s college campuses, the left wants you to think that these demonstrations are some sort of left-wing totally organic Tea Party-style protests brought about by genuine passion from leftist students that sprang up overnight. As with most things from the left, nothing could be further from the truth. RedState has reported that Soros-connected groups are behind the funding of the protests, but how do these young skulls full of mush know to wear masks and how to deal with law enforcement who attempt to break up the protests? The answer is easy: they have been trained.
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The tactics used by protesters are not anything they have come up with on their own. They have consulted with left-wing radical groups like National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP) and Samidoun: Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network. The meetings have resulted in months of planning, training, and encouragement. So what sort of “training” did these would-be revolutionaries receive? Aspiring protesters at Columbia University attended a “teach-in” led by two former members of the Black Panthers. The topics included how to handle any internal disputes within the movement, likely to keep everyone focused on the ultimate goal. The former Black Panthers also discussed some similarities between gentrification that occurred in Harlem and the Israel-Palestine c onflict, a potential tactic designed to make black students feel a connection with the plight of Palestinians and thus keep on board with the protests.
Columbia University has seemingly been the center of training and planning for the protests that have gone nationwide. There was also a training session called “Resistance 101,” put on by Samidoun, a group based in Vancouver that has been banned in Israel and Germany over alleged links to terrorism. The group was barred from the Columbia campus twice and was forced to hold the training virtually. So, what kinds of things are being “taught” during the training session? Charlotte Kates is a coordinator for Samidoun, and is alleged to have stated during the online session:
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“There is nothing wrong with being a member of Hamas, being a leader of Hamas, being a fighter in Hamas. These are the people that are on the front lines defending Palestine.”
Columbia University is just one place where the NSJP is actively organizing and training for anti-Israel protests. The group has over 300 chapters around the country. In addition to inviting washed-up activists like former Black Panthers to impart their “knowledge,” they are also utilizing social media to make sure that protesters do things like cover their faces and how to interact with police. Graduate student and organizer of the pro-Palestine encampment at Columbia, Sueda Polat, described how potential protesters paid rapt attention to the “experience” the Black Panthers passed on saying, “We took notes from our elders, engaged in dialogue with them and analyzed how the university responded to previous protests.” You have to wonder, did anyone pay that much attention in class?
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It appears that nothing is being left to chance regarding these protests. In addition to funding and training, as with any left-wing protests in recent years, there are paid professional agitators showing up in the crowd to keep the rage level at top volume. Recently, Weather Underground co-founder and Obama bestie Bill Ayers showed up at the University of Chicago to join in. Another professional, Lisa Fithian, who apparently doesn’t like anything, and therefore protests everything, showed up at Columbia and offered up “training.” Fithian is a “protest consultant,” and has been arrested 80 times. Aren’t both of these ’60s retreads a little old for this kind of thing?
The pro-Hamas protests are becoming about more than Israel and hating Jews. It is going to be welcoming of Black Lives Matter and Antifa protesters as well, making for a toxic mix that, in an election year, will do nothing to help Democrats. But they can’t stop it because they need the votes of the pro-Hamas crowd in November. But by then, it might be obvious that this was not money well spent.