A New York University (NYU) professor said this week that the protests happening at various college campuses, including his own, were reminiscent of the actions taken by the National Socialist (Nazi) Party against Jews in the 1930s. The statement came amid accusations that the protests were increasingly antisemitic.
Professor Scott Galloway told HBO host Bill Maher that while students should have a lot of leeway in protests, the demonstrations are now getting closer to a much more sinister example.
“Look, it’s easy to poke fun at these kids, but history has a way of repeating itself, and this is how it starts. In ’30s Germany, a progressive community, a thriving gay community, excellent academic institutions,” he said. “And how it started, was it was fashionable to wear a brown shirt and mock students at the University of Vienna.”
The brown shirts were the colloquial name for the Nazi ‘storm trooper’ militia, known by their German initials of ‘SA.’ The SA was used to clash with other militias, harass Jews and bully those who did not support the National Socialists.
“And quite frankly, I’m really disappointed more Jews aren’t speaking out.”
The professor said that “history has a way of repeating itself.”
The Columbia University protest was joined by Nahla Al-Arian. Her husband Sami Al-Arian pleaded guilty in 2006 to providing money to Palestinian Islamic Jihad and spent 57 months in prison before being deported.
In another photo, a protester held up a sign in front of pro-Israel students calling on Hamas to attack them.
The Wife of Sami Al-Arian, a Palestinian Political Activist who Pled Guilt in 2006 to Conspiracy to provide Services to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad for which he was Sentenced to 57 Months in Prison then later Deported to Turkey, is in Attendance of the Pro-Hamas Encampment at… https://t.co/NrgWxQAIIj
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) April 26, 2024
One image that made the rounds on social media showed Nazi Party members blocking Jewish students from the same Austrian university after Germany seized that country in 1938.
Furthermore, the White House issued a statement condemning antisemitism within the protests. The statement was joined by one by Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA).
In addition to the White House statement, many leading Republicans have spoken out against what they call a wave of antisemitism on college campuses. This included through a visit by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to Columbia University last week.
