For decades, the leading voices in protests in both the United States and other countries have been students, specifically in high schools and especially colleges. The newfound freedoms, proximity of like minded young people, and free thinking and self-exploration that is encouraged in such spaces make schools hot spots for politics and protests. However, under the current federal administration, there has been a push to restrict the voice of outspoken students and punish those who do protest. This is a very dangerous policy to have, as it has historically led to conflict, restricts freedoms in an unconstitutional manner, and paves the pathway for authoritarian control.
First, attempts to quell protests in history have rarely ended well. Nearly seventy years ago, student protests against Soviet influence in Hungary snowballed into a full blown revolution that completely altered the lives of all Hungarians due to the Soviets unwillingness to meet the protestors’ demands. Among such Hungarians was my grandfather, who managed to be one of the few to escape the mass murder of the entire student body of his college town. Almost fifteen years later, several demonstrators at Kent State University were shot by members of the national guard during a protest against the Vietnam war, and less than two weeks later, police fired on protestors at Jackson State university with similar bloodshed occurring.
Finally, less than twenty years later, several days of studentled protests in Tiananmen Square ended in bloodbath after the military was sent in to squelch their demonstration. It’s important to remember that all of these protests didn’t begin with death. Turmoil built for years in Hungary before the bloodshed began, protestors had been opposing the Johnson and Nixon administration’s actions since the beginning of the Vietnam war, and Tiananmen Square only became a massacre after days of protest. History often acts in a cyclic nature and not learning from the mistakes in the past would be foolish. The escalating threats issued by the current administration can and will lead to violence if they do not cease immediately.
Second, the current restrictions placed on student protests are unconstitutional. The right to protest is a constitutional right under the First Amendment, and any attempt to prevent peaceful, legal protests is a violation of fundamental rights. Furthermore, the Fifth Amendment’s due process clause along with the Fourth Amendment’s outlining of probable cause clearly protects politically active students on visas, such as Mahmoud Khalil and Rümeysa Öztürk, from being arrested on the street without a warrant, potentially stripped of their visas, and/or deported. Finally, demanding private universities complying with their demands is an unconstitutional attempt to strip such institutions of their independence. Last but not least, the policy of the current administration involving this issue presents a risk of authoritarian control under an over extension of power. By crushing the most active voices with the heels of their boots, they wish to stamp out their greatest opposition, and with X posts from The White House such as, “DO NOT RETALIATE AND YOU WILL BE REWARDED”, their mission seems very clear. Whether you feel their actions are justified or not, their actions are undeniably worrisome and echo history in the most chilling of ways. In my opinion, the current administration must completely backtrack all it has done on this issue with haste or else it will lead us down a dark path that goes against the foundational values of America.