by Josh Hammer
I arrived at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor on Thursday, Nov. 16 to deliver a speech on Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza. The talk's blunt title, selected by the local Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) chapter, reflected my own unambiguous approach to the conflict: "Israel's Righteous Fight Against Jihadism." Given the nature of the talk, given the highly noxious climate now pervading campuses when it comes to this topic in particular, and given the harrowing images of massive anti-Israel gatherings in nearby Dearborn, I anticipated possible fireworks and worked with YAF on event security measures.
Those security measures, unfortunately, turned out to be necessary.
Within minutes of starting my speech, 20 to 25 protestors stood up in unison. They held their arms high in the air to expose their shirts, which featured photos of Palestinian-Arabs who have died in Gaza since the war started. (The students are unaware of, or simply disinterested in, the fact that every one of those deaths is legally attributable to Hamas under international law.) Undeterred, I continued. A few minutes later, the students began obnoxiously coughing in unison each time I opened my mouth, in a clear attempt to drown me out. I reminded them of the university's code of conduct, which prohibits shouting down speakers, but that only made them cough louder.
Shortly thereafter, the mass coughing turned into shouting, coordinated by a visible ringleader toward the front of the pack. The chants would be familiar to those who have paid attention to the explosion of on-campus antisemitism since the Hamas Holocaust of Oct. 7: "Remember their names!," "Free Palestine!," "Stop the genocide!," and so forth. At one point, a protestor started to walk briskly toward the stage, prompting my body man to leap out of his front-row seat to protect me. Finally, a tepid university administrator replaced me at the podium, seemingly to once again remind the students that their conduct violated university policy. He too was drowned out; his exhortations were largely inaudible.
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And like mat knies scares me one day and the next he’s fine af
This too; he’s one of my favourite Leafs players 😊
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I'm not even into college football but consider this an obligatory Michigander posting
WOLVERINES 2024 ROSE BOWL CHAMPIONS
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Y’all umich is NOT the U of M don’t call it that it’s not yours
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At the U of M gender clinic and spotted an autism creature and some wonderful artwork in the wild!
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thinking about how well adjusted i could have been if i didn't go to the University of Michigan-Dearborn
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This post is about blank slate it has to be this is some Ann Arbor shit right here
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I’ve been struggling this week, as have many Michigan residents. I grew up in Lansing and rooting for the Spartans and visiting East Lansing and MSU’s campus was a big part of my childhood. When I decided to go to University of Michigan instead of MSU, I got a lot of ribbing from friends and family, but I’ve always said I don’t care about the rivalry between the two schools, joking that I “come from a house divided.” One half of my family is a majority of MSU alumni, and the other is U of M alumni, and I love both.
The attack on Monday hurt so many, and healing will take a long time. I hope this picture conveys what’s in my heart - at the end of the day, in the midst of tragedy, Wolverines are there for Spartans.
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I'm more of a Michigan State gal myself but the one thing that unites Spartans and Wolverines is a mutual hatred of Ohio State. The one time per year I root for Michigan and they crush Ohio State's hopes and dreams while playing in Columbus. Ya girl is ecstatic
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