In the past 4 months, Hillsdale College, a Michigan liberal arts college that espouses extreme right-wing ideology, has unleashed a series of attacks on Americans who support an end to Israel's ongoing ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people. A college holds the the eyes, ears, and minds of its students and its communities, and this power should not be abused to misrepresent Israel's genocide as a just war or to misrepresent Americans' freedom of speech in support of pro-Palestinians as terrorist support.

Hillsdale College's newsletter, Imprimis, reaches an astounding 64 million readers. On Dec 18, 2023, the President's letter characterized US protesters committed to Palestinian right to life and dignity as supporters of terrorists (see snapshot). Notice how the statement presents this right-wing interpretation as a fact through statistics: "48% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 24 support Hamas and think terrorist attacks are justified." 

If you do not already know how influential Hillsdale College is, take a look at this USA Today article on how MAGA Republican, Florida governor and presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis, wants to clone it in his own state: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2023/01/15/what-hillsdale-college-florida-gov-desantis-wants-replicate/11048401002/

Tell Hillsdale's president he cannot equate Palestinians with terrorists!

Writing in honor of Giving Tuesday in Nov 2023, Pres. Arnn lamented, "On college campuses across the nation, we see demonstrations in support of the terrorist organization Hamas and a growing antipathy among younger Americans to the idea of free speech."

President Arnn must apologize for and detract his numerous statements characterizing Palestinians as terrorists and censuring American protesters' freedom of speech. He must call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire.

The scale, ferocity, and trauma of Israel's war on a refugee population will reverberate for generations. These acts amount to war crimes, and they constitute, by international legal standards, the definition of ethnic cleansing.

This brutality is why Americans are protesting in support of Palestine, Pres. Arnn, not to express support of terrorists. And those taking to the streets show that freedom of speech is alive and well in America--as long as we do not work to suppress it under the guise of anti-Palestinian discrimination.

All crimes against civilians must be condemned equally. It is egregious and hypocritical for a university educator to refuse to acknowledge or teach the history of Palestine and Israel's imperial and colonial Zionist project, especially in an institution such as Hillsdale College that purports to foster critical thinking and citizenship in its student body. 

Hillsdale College must repudiate the dehumanizing narrative that demonizes Palestinian peoples. Otherwise, it is complicit in the attacks that continue to terrorize Muslims and Palestinians in the US and Israel.

Instead, Pres. Arnn must raise his voice to join in with millions around the world demanding a permanent and immediate ceasefire by Israel. He must explicitly affirm his commitment to Palestinian dignity and humanity.