A Texas-based cell phone company is stepping up its efforts to counter anti-Semitic protests that are roiling college and university campuses across the nation.
Patriot Mobile, a Christian wireless provider, has partnered with the Jewish Lives Matter organization to fly banners from airplanes over universities where protesters are setting up encampments and demanding that administrators divest from Israel in support of Gaza.
“God Bless Israel,” read the banner flown over Columbia University in New York this past week, according to Patriot Mobile.
The company is co-sponsoring more pro-Israel banners to be flown this week over the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), the University of Southern California (USC), the University of Texas at Austin, the Capitol of Texas in Austin, Harvard University, and Boston College.
“We want to encourage our Jewish students to let them know that Christians across this country support them and that we stand with Israel,” Glenn Story, Patriot Mobile CEO, said in a statement. “Antisemitism has no place in America, and we stand against this hate.”
The company has been a longtime supporter of Israel and has sponsored several events against antisemitism, including the upcoming “Stand Up for Israel, for Jewish Students, and Against Antisemitism Rally Against Hate” event in Dallas on May 5.
“We categorically denounce the hate and violence that is being allowed on campuses across America,” said Leigh Wambsganss, chief communications officer at Patriot Mobile.
“These protestors seek to intimidate, not communicate, or even debate. Patriot Mobile is so committed to freedom of religion and freedom of speech that the First Amendment is one of our four pillars. Blocking Jewish students’ access, taking over campus buildings, and physical violence is not free speech.”
Protests Spread Across Nation
In recent weeks, anti-Israel protests, demonstrations, and encampments have continued at colleges and universities nationwide.Protesters are demanding that universities divest from Israel, accusing them of funding genocide in Gaza, which Israel denies.
Protesters set up an encampment and have occupied a large portion of the lawn for the last two weeks. On April 29, Columbia President Minouche Shafik said talks had reached a stalemate. She ordered the protesters to leave or face suspension.
The students broke into Hamilton Hall, where they barricaded themselves.
They hung a sign on the front of the building that read, “intifada,” which means uprising in Arabic.
Organizations such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the Muslim Students Association of America, and Young Muslims are leading the call to “defend Gaza” and hosting events in support of the protests.
“Your revolution is to stop a genocide,” CAIR Research and Advocacy Director Corey Saylor told attendees, according to an email sent to The Epoch Times.
“The George Floyd protests reminded America that we need to have some difficult conversations in our nation,“ Mr. Saylor added.
”To see the bastions of academic freedom deploying law enforcement against their own students and faculty who support an end to a genocide suggests such uncomfortable conversations remain unwelcome.”
Protesters have made multiple attempts to occupy the University of Texas Austin over the past week.
On April 29, UT-Austin officials deployed law enforcement to dismantle the protesters’ encampment and arrested more than 70 participants who refused orders to leave the campus.
This past week, 57 people were arrested when they disregarded orders to disperse. The arrestees were released, and charges were later dropped because of “deficiencies” in the arrest affidavits, according to Travis County Attorney Delia Garza.
