A multitude of factors sparked the 68-generation movement, including the global ascendance of leftist ideologies, the Vietnam War and the Cuban Missile Crisis, among others. In essence, various crises occurring in different regions prompted youth worldwide to raise the banner of rebellion.
This wave of rebellion spread to almost all states in the West, as well as states under its influence, and youth movements were associated with the generation of '68, especially from the perspective of the left. Simultaneously, nationalist and right-wing movements emerged within the same generation and served as counterpoints to the leftist movements.
When the Gaza conflict started, humanity faced an extraordinary situation. A substantial sense of worthlessness had enveloped humanity. Living in the world had almost no connection with religion, morality, law or civilization anymore. People began to be categorized only as producers and consumers. Global imperialism, especially global Zionist imperialism, was dragging people toward such a pit of worthlessness.
When the Gaza conflict broke out, not only the dimensions of the conflict but also the innocent resistance of the people in Gaza, the fortitude and solidarity of the defenseless people in the face of this atrocity, and the fact that they did not surrender despite facing hardships that no human being in the world could endure regardless of the conditions, caused an awakening of conscience in the world.
At times, a veil is lifted, revealing the inner workings of the global system. Whether in nations occupied by Western powers, like in Iraq, Syria or elsewhere, or in African countries historically affected by Western imperialism, the pain of Gaza resonates deeply. Similarly, in countries directly colonized or indirectly influenced by the United Kingdom, such as Ireland, protests against the Gaza massacre are, perhaps subconsciously, also a form of resistance against past British occupation.
On the other hand, effective protests are taking place in Spain. The fact that the socialist government is in power there triggered their support for Gaza. They raised the flag of rebellion at the state level against Israeli imperialism and oppression.
Perhaps the most impressive and unexpected Gaza protests are being staged in the United States. Pioneering street movements started in Texas, New York and Washington. There were significant demonstrations and rallies. In New York, Jewish people occupied the train station. These Jewish people protested against Israeli Zionism.
Protests are taking place in Western capitals, one after the other. In Germany, the "ex-Nazis," who are almost more Zionist than the Zionists now, suppressed the demonstrations in Germany under Zionist pressure.
I want to focus on the pro-Palestinian protests across U.S. universities that started at Columbia University, continued at New York University, and spread to many other campuses, including Texas, Yale and Harvard.
From an external perspective, these universities educate America's ruling elite, shape its infrastructure and stand as institutions coveted by students worldwide. While American liberalism and freedom allure individuals, the academic excellence of these universities consistently garners global attention. Significantly, some of the most noteworthy reactions to the Jewish siege in the U.S. originated here.
Bekir Cantemir and I co-initiated a project called "On Record" at the Rami Library in Istanbul. In the opening speech of this initiative, Bekir Cantemir said, "The Gaza War not only revealed 70 years of Israeli-Palestinian relations but also exposed and manifested that all nations in the world are under siege."
Today, it is seen that the U.S. is under the siege of political Zionism and that neither the president, the members of Congress, nor the businesspeople are free.
In the face of all these biased, undemocratic and freedom-restricting efforts, universities do not accept this siege. On the one hand, they are protesting against this besiegement, genocide and cruelty against humanity in Gaza. On the other hand, they are rebelling against the siege that their own state and humankind have fallen into, and this rebellion against this siege is facing enormous police and state repression. I wonder if this will bring a widespread rebellion movement like the 68 generation or surrender. We shall see.
Last week, a striking post shook all social media channels. Canadian Jewish author Naomi Klein, in a stunning speech on the streets of New York, said: “Our Judaism cannot be contained by an ethnostate, for our Judaism is internationalist by nature ... Political Zionism’s version of liberation is itself profane. ... Zionism is a false idol that has taken the idea of the promised land and turned it into a deed of sale for a militaristic ethnostate ... We don’t need or want the false idol of Zionism. We want freedom from the project that commits genocide in our name. Freedom from an ideology that has no plan for peace other than deals with murderous theocratic petrostates next door while selling the technologies of robo-assassinations to the world ... What are we? We, in these streets for months and months, are the exodus. The exodus from Zionism.”
