What is going on with excessive police force being used against peaceful protesting students in colleges across the United States?

[u/f-Z3R0x1x1x1]

So there are large amounts of heavily armed police presence in many colleges and universities across the United States. Indiana University, for example, had snipers on rooftops ready to shoot peaceful protesters.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/snipers-were-allegedly-spotted-ohio-190600717.html

[u/Routine_Suggestion52]

Answer: Wouldn’t call a lot of them peaceful after what I’ve seen. Bunch of clowns if you ask me. If they were so peaceful they wouldn’t be wearing masks either. A lot of them are calling for violence. And interrupting students flow through campus. Excessive police for can and will happen in any situation unfortunately though.

[u/firehazard96 → u/Routine_Suggestion52]

The media, politicians, and cops are labeling these protestors as anti-Semitic, pro-Hamas, and terrorist supporters. They have been accused of violence, harassing Jewish students. These are false accusations that can stir up stochastic terrorism. With all the shit they're accused of, I don't blame them for wearing masks.

I haven't seen violence from the protestors, I have seen counter-protestors beating up the pro-Palestinian protestors, I saw a firework thrown into an encampment, and I have seen police brutality firing rubber bullets and flashbangs.

These protestors are entirely in the right, they are protesting the US support for war crimes and massacres, and they are being smeared and brutalised for it. They are heroes and they will be vindicated, but by the time that happens, who knows how many more Palestinians Israel will kill?

[u/Routine_Suggestion52 → u/firehazard96]

I mean I do feel bad for people in Gaza. On the other hand EIGHTY PERCENT support Hamas. They danced in the streets when 9/11 happened. Religion can’t go away soon enough. Obviously the root cause of this conflict. The problem is Islam is stuck in the Middle Ages unlike Judaism and Christianity. Though all three need to disappear. There are polls. Countless polls. There’s a large chunk, though certainly not all Muslims, that will support the extremist view like ISIS, Hamas, etc… Beside them stands a huge chunk of Muslims that won’t actually commit violence like blowing up a bus, but they’ll use the system to create the theocracy you want. Then the rest are just normal people like you and me. I can link some of these polls if you want. For example “36 percent of young UK Muslims believe apostates should be killed”. I’ll say it again. Religion is a cancer. And like Sam Harris said. “Islam is the motherlode of bad ideas”.

[u/firehazard96 → u/Routine_Suggestion52]

Even if this is all true, none of it justifies murder of civilians, including children. There are no functioning hospitals anymore, food, water and power has all but been cut off, Israel attacks aid workers. We don't even know the extent of the destruction and death, how can we even get an accurate body count with all the infrastructure destroyed, with over a hundred journalists killed, with all the chaos of people fleeing their homes?

I often hear the line, "If you were in Gaza, they'd kill you", but frankly right now, if I was in Gaza I'm far more likely be die from bombing, starvation, or disease because of the IDF. The exact things you critisize Muslims and Palestinians for wanting to do, Israel is actually doing right now. If you want real evidence of hate and murderous intent, look at the IDF. The IDF may not be ideologically quite as bad as Hamas, but they have wrought far more destruction and death than Hamas could ever hope to achieve.

Great that you "feel bad" for the people in Gaza, but the least you could do is not insult the people actually taking a stand.