Throughout the United States, mass protests have erupted in support of Palestine after the events of October 7, 2023. The momentum for Palestine has been at an all time high with huge Pro-Palestinian demonstrations held everyday since the beginning of October 2023.

Such protests call for an end to US support towards Israel (Zionist Regime) and call for the rights of the oppressed to resist occupation. While the West has been quick to push its oft repeated slogan  “all Americans stand with Israel,” the scene on the streets, particularly on college campuses around the United States, shows a different narrative. 

The support for the Israeli regime amongst the people of the United States is plummeting.  Polls also indicate that most of the momentum for Palestinian liberation in the West is being led by the youth. One of the primary causes for this shift is the rise of social media becoming a source of unfiltered information. For too long Israel (Zionist Regime) relied on its propaganda to hide its war crimes, and rarely was the Palestinian plight shown for the Western audience. However, with the influx of images and videos coming from Gaza, the war crimes have become undeniable and a vastly opposing narrative has been reaching a wider audience

In addition to all of this, there is an increased recognition of the Palestinian right to resist the occupation. “Resistance is justified, when people are occupied!” can be heard throughout college campuses in the United States. This is paving the way for the Palestinian right to not only exist as a sovereign nation but to resist their occupation by any means necessary. 

Pro-Palestinian protests have significantly outnumbered the small numbers who gather for Pro-Zionist demonstrations. It seems that both Western Media outlets as well as western imperialist politicians have been taken aback by the pro-Palestine movement’s diversity on campuses and beyond. Now, more than ever, the Palestinian cause has traversed race and borders.

However, despite the numbers, the movement has still received pushback from the establishment. Almost every university in the United States has released some sort of statement calling for support for the Israeli regime with little to no mention of the Palestinian plight or cause. This begs the question: why are US colleges and universities who espouse objectivity and many of which rarely make official statements related to foreign policy issues, unanimously have to declare their support for the Zionist state? 

Universities and colleges in the US have long been known for their deep connections to Zionist lobbies and hence have to release statements that serve to protect these interests. The rise of pro-Palestinian rallies have highlighted Zionist lobbies and their connections to university administrations thereby putting the entire academic establishment into question. 

In the midst of this, Florida’s Governor Rob DeSantis has ordered universities in Florida to shut down chapters of the National Student for Justice in Palestine (SJP) groups. SJP has been one of the most prominent student run organizations in arranging Pro-Palestinian demonstrations throughout US college campuses. It seems that politicians like DeSantis fear the momentum such protests have caused and even at the expense of the democratic right to free speech and protest, they are trying to shut it down. 

As the West attempts to speak on behalf of the US American public, the scenes on university campuses show a marked change on how the youth view the Zionist regime and global imperialist agendas. 

These demonstrations are displaying a global paradigm shift of consciousness. Such a shift could not have happened overnight. Perhaps it is due to this generation seeing through the lies of US wars on Iraq and Afghanistan that they can no longer trust the imperialist authorities. Whatever the cause, it is clear that the youth will no longer accept being gaslighted into submission, nor shamed into anti-Semitic rhetoric.

Young people in the United States today are demanding more from elected officials. And they are not afraid to rage against the system.