Arafat criticises US police response to peaceful campus protests for Palestinian rights

State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad A. Arafat has voiced concerns over the actions of police during peaceful demonstrations at various US universities, describing the use of force as “disproportionate” and “inappropriate.” These protests, primarily led by students and faculty members, were organised to support Palestinian rights.

“The rallies are mostly being conducted peacefully; there hasn‍‍`t been any violence, arson, or killing of cops, children, or women, unlike what the BNP-Jamaat arsonists did in Bangladesh,” Arafat stated in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The protests have taken place across numerous prestigious US college campuses, with participants advocating for the freedom of the Palestinian people. Arafat emphasised the peaceful nature of these demonstrations, highlighting the absence of violence and arson, which are often associated with protests elsewhere.

“It’s only some students and professors who are protesting against what they believe is wrong. There was no sign of violence or arson,” Arafat reiterated.

Despite the peaceful conduct of the protesters, the response by law enforcement has been notably aggressive, according to Arafat. The number of police forces seen to contain the people shows no respect for protests by civilians, he observed.

Reflecting on how such situations are handled in Bangladesh, Arafat speculated on the reaction of the US administration to similar circumstances. “I wonder what the US administration would do in the face of BNP-Jamaat violence and arson in the name of the so-called protest that they displayed a few months ago to impede the election and obstruct the democratic process in Bangladesh,” the state minister said.

Arafat condemned violence, stating, “I strongly believe that there is no place for violence in democracy.”

He also shared a distressing account of a university professor who, despite her academic credentials from the University of California, Berkeley, was mistreated by police. “Unlike the BNP-Jamaat terrorists in Bangladesh, she did not seem like an extremist, getting herself indulging in violence or arson,” he explained. The professor was reportedly verbally abused and violently arrested.

Arafat concluded by affirming the fundamental democratic rights to assembly and protest, which he argued should be respected universally: “The right to assembly and the right to protest need to be respected in all democracies.”