Protests gather against governing institutions in Columbus, Israel

Columbus, Ohio (W.C.M.H.) — 2 students from Ohio State University Spokesman Benjamin Johnson said they were arrested Tuesday night when a group of 50 to 60 protesters “disrupted” university business.

One of those students, Youssef Munir, spoke on NBC4 Wednesday afternoon.

“Even before the protests actually started, there were already dozens of police officers on the scene, surrounding us on all sides. “We have members,” he said.

Munir is a member of the Ohio Youth Organization for Climate Justice. He said they chose to stand up for Palestine because of similar goals: climate justice and Palestinian liberation.

“We basically knew that if we wanted to fight for climate justice, that meant we had to really support the fight for the liberation of Palestine,” he said. “It ignores the social, political and economic dimensions of the climate crisis. So, for example, the bombs that are currently being dropped on Gaza are dropping enormous amounts of emissions.”

Regarding the protest at Maylin Hall on campus, Munir recalled that the group gathered peacefully, sometimes chanting chants.

“I personally had no warning beforehand. They warned some other people about other things. And when I relayed it, they said, 'Stop chanting.' So I didn't chant. And they arrested me without warning. ”

The university alleges that Munir and one other student continued to cause a disturbance despite being asked to stop due to the loud noise.

“There were these newly created arbitrary rules about what was considered excessive sound, what was considered amplified sound, and the lines that couldn't be crossed, and we followed them. But I still spent the night in jail,” Munir said.

Ohio State University held a press conference for local media Wednesday afternoon to discuss the university's policy on protests and why the two students were arrested.

Professor Munir said he disagreed with their story and believed the university was selecting people to send a message.

“They can continue to exclude individuals, but everyone else will continue to fight. There will be protests tomorrow, but no one is going to slow down. If they crack down on one of us… , thousands more will rise up,” he said.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, a couple who have lived in Columbus for nearly 40 years are staging their own protests. Jack Chomsky and Susan Gelman currently live in Tel Aviv, Israel. They visit what is now called “Hostage Square” every week. Thousands of protesters are calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to return all Israeli hostages still held by Hamas after the October 7 attack.

“The situation is complex and people here are aware of and actually care about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. For everyone here who knows someone who has family members held hostage in Gaza, this We have to remember that it's a complex situation,” Gelman said. Now everyone knows someone who does it, so we look at it through that lens too. ”

Chomsky added: “It's important for people to understand that many, if not most, people are compassionately concerned about people who are truly suffering.”

Both men have been protesting against the Israeli government for months.

“They don't want the war to end. They don't care about bringing the hostages home. They certainly don't care about ending the occupation. They try to spin the wheels and buy time for various reasons. “There are,” Gelman said. He said.

Chomsky and Gellman believe that Palestinian freedom is possible. They both believe there is a way to coexist.

“I believe there is a capacity for Israeli-Palestinian coexistence in this region, but the people who are interested in developing that project are usually not in the leadership of either group. No,” Chomsky said.

Protests on opposite sides of the world are uniquely intertwined, calling for both peace and freedom.

“If the hostages had been released, the situation in Gaza would have been different. We are all grieving here. I mean, we are still grieving here. It's a very difficult and complicated time. And We want that,” Gelman said. Something good will come out of it. ”

https://www.nbc4i.com/news/local-news/columbus/protests-in-columbus-israel-rally-against-governing-bodies/ Protests gather against governing institutions in Columbus, Israel