The End of Palestinian Protest Encampments

 

During these quieter days of Summer the encampments on the campuses of universities and colleges across the country have been coming down. They were established as protests against investments in the companies in the state of Israel and in Canadian companies that produced products, including weapons, that supported Israel. 

This was a response to the carnage in Gaza, the tiny enclave adjacent to Israel that has become a living hell for more than two million people. The terrorist organization, Hamas, attacked Israel in October of 2023 killing 1200 Israelis and taking more than 100 hostages. It was a cowardly, horrendous event. Since then Israel has sought retribution, supposedly to eliminate Hamas, yet killing thousands of children and other civilians. Hospitals have been destroyed, aid dried up, and daily the civilian death toll rises. 

                                                                                              Gaza

After months of claims by student leaders that they weren't going anywhere they have, in fact, dispersed and gone elsewhere. The institutions got fed up and sought legal injunctions that would have been enforced by the police. The school year had come to an end and it's likely that many of the students wanted to go home and find work.

I have been wondering about the effectiveness of this form of protest for a while now. Interviews with student leaders demonstrated plenty of zeal, yet the outcome seemed inevitable. At the same time I'm aware that lots of humanitarian organizations and faith communities, including the United Church of Canada, have issued statements and held rallies with similar concerns. Aren't they pretty much the same, without the tents and? And I do feel that we must speak out against injustice even when it seems that it won't necessarily effect change. We can shrug and say that these efforts are quixotic or "woke" --not woke! -- but solidarity matters and silence is failure. 

The tent encampments may be gone but we can be grateful for the passion of youth. Complacency is never a virtue, and we follow the Christ, the Crucified and Risen One, whose Palm Sunday ride challenged the "powers that be" of his day.