Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) defended the right to protest in a Friday video, crediting nonviolent protests for much of the progress American society has made historically.
Sanders made his stance clear in a post to X amid reports of pro-Palestinian protests across the country, with some resulting in on-campus encampments. From the beginning of these protests, the senator has condemned antisemitic chants and themes as “disgusting and stupid” but also maintained the students participating in nonviolent ways should be left alone.
“I support the First Amendment of the Constitution,” Sanders said before reciting it. “Protests and demonstrations have played an enormously important and positive role in modern American history. Without protests led by Dr. King and others, we would not have made progress in eliminating segregation in America and combating racism. Without protests, women in America would still be second-class citizens, unable to control their own bodies or have equal opportunities in the workforce. Without protest, many of our gay brothers and sisters would still be hiding their sexual identity.”
The senator acknowledged the war in Gaza between the Israeli government and the terrorist group Hamas. Approximately 34,000 Palestinians have been killed during the conflict in Gaza, according to the local health ministry, whose count doesn’t distinguish between combatants and noncombatants but alleges that two-thirds of the dead are women and children. Sanders pointed out that missile raids have destroyed all 13 universities in Gaza and over half its housing.
“In my view, demonstrations must be nonviolent. Not only is that the right thing to do, it is the most effective thing to do,” Sanders went on. “The focus must be on the suffering of the people in Gaza, not bricks flying through windows.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The reference to a brick could have been an allusion to the Stonewall riots of 1969, an incident between police officers and clients of a gay bar that resulted in thrown bricks, among other objects. Various universities have reported bricks as a weapon of choice among some extremist protesters, which has led to vandalism of campus buildings on some occasions.
This video comes as Sanders’s senatorial term comes to an end. The senator has not made it clear if he plans to run for reelection at the age of 82.
