Letter: Students protesting Gaza war deserve high praise

A letter on May 31 makes a very broad (and alarming) accusation: The root of student protests in the U.S. over the horrifying Israeli military attacks against Palestinians are a result of university faculty using their “academic freedom” to indoctrinate their students (“Protests prompt question of university curiculum,” Star-Advertiser).

I remember well, as a University of Hawaii-Manoa political activist against the Vietnam War in the 1960s and ’70s, how political science professor Oliver Lee was denied tenure for his anti-war views. At that time, a strong student/faculty response forced the university to back down. I remain proud to be part of a student generation that managed this.

These days, when the future of democracy in our country is under real threat, we should applaud this young generation of students who have the courage and integrity to accept the risk of standing up strong for the freedoms and rights of an oppressed people.

Noel Kent

Manoa

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