Left-wing Columbia University students are planning a protest of Veterans Day, according to a report from the New York Post. Instead of honoring our nation's veterans, the students plan to “honor” so-called “martyrs” of the US “war machine.”
Reportedly, organizers of the protest want to “reclaim” from the “Israel-US war machine” in the name of Palestinians killed in Gaza. The group behind the protest is the Columbia University Apartheid Divest, which is not sanctioned by the university (via NYP):
“Veterans Day is an American holiday to honor the patriotism, love of country, and sacrifice of veterans. We reject this holiday and refuse to celebrate it,” a flyer for the agitator group’s event said.
“The American war machine should not be honored for the horrors unleashed on others,” the flyer added. “Instead, we will celebrate Martyrs Day in honor of those martyred by the Israel-US war machine. A day to honor the patriotism, love of country, and sacrifice of those martyrs.”
The Post noted that some campus veterans are planning a celebration of veterans at the same time to counter the despicable protest.
One veteran who spoke to the Post explained that student-veterans experienced “on campus vitriol” after Columbia’s massive pro-Hamas protests took place. This Veterans Day protest is another “slap in the face,” he said.
“That post really shook the hornet’s nest,” Sam Nahins, a 31-year-old Air Force veteran and Columbia graduate student who completed his undergraduate degree at the school in the spring, told the outlet.
“They’ve never hid their disdain for veterans. But now it’s really out in the open,” he added. “Last year when students and faculty members were running around dressing up as jihadists and screaming ‘Death to America,’ ‘Death to Western civilization,’ death to everything but their cause, I had friends get called infidels, and murderers and baby-killers.”
Nahins added that the “Martyrs Day” protest can impact the mental health of veterans. One of Nahins own friends, Brandon Christie, was a Marine Corps veteran who took his own life last year. Before he died, he was working on an undergraduate degree in mathematics-statistics.
“This has all been really detrimental towards the mental health of veterans, and just nothing was really being done about it,” Nahins said.
In a statement to the Post, the university claimed that it stands by its veterans and reportedly downplayed the “Martyrs Day” protest plans.
“Columbia is proud of our students, faculty and staff who are veterans, and we are grateful for their service and sacrifice and the invaluable contributions they offer to our community,” a campus spokesperson told The Post. “The University honors its veterans on Veterans Day and every day, and we are proud to be participating in the New York Veterans Day Parade tomorrow, as we have for more than a decade.”
“We are aware that a small group has called for a demonstration tomorrow, and our public safety team is monitoring for any disruptions to campus activity. As always, we are committed to preserving our core mission to teach, create, and advance knowledge,” the spokesperson added.
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