Dear Editor,
I read the letter to the editor on May 24 regarding the protests taking place at universities in the United States regarding the war in the Gaza strip.
The ladies who wrote the letter are confused about the first amendment to the constitution and what it protects. These protests are protected because freedom of speech is protected even if you don’t like what the person is saying. That is why it is so difficult to do anything about white supremacists, Nazis, election deniers, conspiracy theorists, vaccine mis-information promoters, January 6th apologists and Donald Trump’s attacks on the American justice system and anyone associated with it and their families.
They are also confused about the use of the sedition act. That comes into play when someone promotes the overthrow of the government of the united States, not the overthrow of a government 5,000 miles away.
The university protestors are upset that the Israeli Defense Force has indiscriminately rained bombs down on the most crowded piece of land in the world killing over 40,000 people, roughly the capacity of Fenway Park. Many of those killed were children who were certainly not Hamas operatives. They are upset that the IDF has bombed refugee camps that have existed since those families were forced off their land in 1946 so Israel could be created.
Other people are upset that Hamas attacked Israel and killed around 1,200 people.
Both sides have a point. Both sides have a right to their opinion. The Israelis and Palestinians should have worked this out years ago. I certainly hope they work it out soon before more people on both sides are killed.
Denny Crane
Marlborough
