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VOICES FOR PEACE MUST NOT BE SILENCED
Regardless of affiliation, as citizens of the United States, we all share the
fundamental right to freedom of speech and the ability to express our views,
even if they diverge from others. The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution
states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of
the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble..."
On May 8, 2024, Police attacked a peaceful protest at George Washington
University blocks away from the White House. As far as we know, the GWU
protestors did not cross any boundaries of peacefully protesting before being
forcefully removed. Law enforcement destroyed the encampment, pepper sprayed
many, and arrested 33 for various reasons. Even if the school and other students
saw these protests as a nuisance that disrupted their daily routines, the
protestors had every right to voice their dislike for the current Israel-Hamas
War as long as it was presented in a nonharmful manner to those surrounding
them. The use of excessive force by hundreds of police officers descending on
peaceful student protestors seems to be an extreme measure of what the situation
called for.
We have the right to speak freely here, given to us by the founding fathers, who
fought a war of their own to provide us with this freedom. Never allow a
government to silence your voice.
The Constitution of the United States Transcript (National Archives)
Washington, DC, police raid on GWU's pro-Palestinian tent camp ends in arrests, pepper spray (USA Today, 5-8-24)
33 demonstrators arrested as D.C. police clear GWU protest encampment (The Washington Post, 5-8-24)