The University of Southern California had to cancel its main commencement ceremony in May due to security concerns arising from anti-Israel protests on campus. A group of students, dubbed “Champagne Marxists,” disrupted the celebration for the class of 2024 and their families. These protesters claimed to support the Palestinian cause but displayed a lack of understanding of the situation and resorted to harmful and disruptive actions.
The protests were triggered by the conflict between Hamas and Israel, with the protesters at elite universities showing support for Hamas while condemning Israel. Despite their professed concern for the Palestinian people, many of these students had never been to Gaza or could not locate Palestinian territory on a map. Their actions included holding vigils for Hamas terrorists, projecting antisemitic slogans, harassing Jewish students, tearing down posters, and disrupting private events.
The focus of the protests was a Gaza Solidarity Encampment at Columbia University, where students sustained their activism with expensive food choices while advocating for divestment from Israel. The protesters, mainly children of the rich and powerful, enjoyed a privileged lifestyle while claiming to support a proletarian revolution. Their actions, reminiscent of historical Marxist figures like Lenin and Mao, raised concerns about the potential consequences of their radicalism.
The university administration initially tried to address the situation by making arrests, but the protests continued, leading to hybrid classes for the remainder of the semester. The protesters’ actions highlighted their detachment from broader society and their search for excitement within their insulated lives. The author, Helen Raleigh, warned against underestimating these Champagne Marxists and emphasized the importance of holding them accountable for their destructive behavior.
