Tehran 'religiously' broadcasting anti-Israel unrest at US schools for propaganda, expert says

Iran and its proxies person actively lauded nan anti-Israel protests astatine American universities, claiming nan activity represents integrated grassroots "changes successful nan attitudes" of nan public, according to experts. 

"These are nan mainstream, astir important news agencies aliases websites wrong Iran that are covering this," Dr. Saeed Ghasseminejad, a elder advisor connected Iran astatine nan Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital. 

"They are covering it very religiously, and arsenic you tin guess, they decidedly backmost that," he said, referring to nan wide protests connected American assemblage campuses. 

Several Ivy League universities, including Columbia University, Harvard University and Yale University, person faced increasing anti-Israel protests that person intensified complete nan past week. Columbia adopted hybrid learning connected its main field complete fears of information owed to nan protests. 

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The unrest has dispersed to different universities, specified arsenic nan University of Texas astatine Austin, wherever an anti-Israel objection devolved into arrests arsenic nan Austin Police Department and Texas Department of Public Safety tried to support order. These protests person received sizeable attraction successful Iran, pinch officials and news outlets intensely covering them and utilizing them arsenic expected grounds of increasing anti-Israel sentiment successful nan U.S.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators astatine an encampment astatine Columbia University successful nan Morningside Heights vicinity of New York, US, connected Monday, April 22, 2024. Columbia University took its classes online aft days of anti-Israel protests roiled its New York City field and prompted condemnation from nan White House and City Hall.  (Stephanie Keith/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian expressed support for those speaking sick of Israel and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He besides said nan rule enforcement consequence to nan ongoing protests, and consequent wide arrests, has them "deeply worried and disgusted." 

In translated articles that Ghasseminejad posted successful a thread connected societal media level X, Iranian media has highlighted nan Ivy League demonstrations, claiming that they person inspired "other students crossed nan state to shape sit-ins successful support of nan residents of Gaza, chanting slogans." 

"According to images and reports from universities for illustration 'Yale' and 'Harvard,' students person gathered connected these campuses to condemn nan genocide committed by nan Israeli authorities successful Gaza and request that world associations sever ties pinch nan Zionist regime," an article by Iranian newspaper Kayhan stated. 

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"Harvard students carried a ample banner stating: 'Stop nan genocide successful Gaza,’" nan article continued. "Interestingly, while carrying nan Palestinian emblem astir nan campuses and wearing keffiyehs astir their necks, students chanted against nan crimes of nan Zionist authorities and nan U.S. government's support for these crimes."

A broadcast from Iranian news web Al-Alam glorified nan protests arsenic grounds of "the emergence of wide changes successful nan attitudes of nan American nationalist and, particularly, nan younker towards nan policies of their authorities and its unconditional support for nan Zionist regime." 

State troopers apprehension a man astatine a pro-Palestinian protestation astatine nan University of Texas connected Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Jay Janner/American-Statesman)

"These changes are gradually having an effect connected nan approaches of these universities – which for years person been a root of powerfulness for this authorities done promoting its lobbying successful America," nan study claimed.

Ghasseminejad was calved successful Iran but near nan state successful 2008 aft he was abducted and confined – pinch a suspended condemnation – for his student activism. He noted that immoderate Middle Eastern outlets screen nan unrest respective times a day, each day, and are "closely pursuing it." 

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Some leaders of Iranian proxies, specified arsenic Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, person stressed successful caller speeches really important nan anti-Israel demonstrations person been successful nan U.S., according to Steven Stalinsky, nan executive head of nan Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) successful Washington.

In an op-ed published by nan Wall Street Journal, Stalinsky wrote that Nasrallah connected March 13 had lauded nan "very influential" protests and based on that "we should salute them" for their run of "uncommitted" protestation votes against President Biden. 

Hundreds of anti-Israel protesters shape a objection successful beforehand of Sather Gate connected nan UC Berkeley field connected April 22, wherever they group up a shelter encampment successful solidarity pinch protesters astatine Columbia University who are demanding a imperishable cease-fire successful nan warfare betwixt Israel and Gaza. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Nasrallah called nan protestation votes "the astir important intends of unit connected nan Biden administration" to impact a alteration successful U.S. policy. 

"It is nary coincidence that charismatic statements by Hamas and awesome jihadist groups astir nan protests are astir identical," Stalinsky wrote. "The statements look for illustration talking points for pressuring U.S. and Western determination makers. They look to beryllium working."

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Stalinsky peculiarly raised concerns complete nan measurement student groups person organized to create a deliberate run to look to beryllium grassroots but person taken cues from nan likes of Khaled Barakat, a erstwhile Popular Front for nan Liberation of Palestine member, who hosted a "Resistance 101" people pinch nan Columbia University Apartheid Divest student group. 

During a video telephone pinch nan student group, Barakat discussed his "friends successful Islamic Jihad" and invoked nan "strategic vision" of Iran while his woman urged students to explicitly endorse nan actions of equipped groups, according to The Jerusalem Post. 

This record handout image provided by Hezbollah's media agency connected September 2, 2023, shows nan Lebanese Shiite group's Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah during a gathering pinch nan lawman main of nan Palestinian Hamas movement, Saleh al-Aruri, astatine an undisclosed location successful Lebanon. (Hezbollah's Media Office/AFP via Getty Images)

"He speaks to, frequently, Hezbollah, Al-Manar TV, which is … it’s forbidden for it to aerial successful nan U.S., it utilized to beryllium disposable connected satellite, but it’s now blocked," Stalinsky told Fox News Digital. The Hezbollah leader did an question and reply connected March 30 to talk astir occidental support for Palestinians against Israel, and said "the immense mostly of young Americans and Canadians … support equipped resistance," Stalinsky added. 

Stalinsky besides noted that Barakat discussed nan measurement that program has influenced student thought, pinch professors pushing circumstantial views that item much sympathetic angles that push students toward activism. 

"I person a masters successful Middle East studies, but … it’s not learning astir nan Middle East" that causes nan problem, he argued. "It’s astir who’s school astir nan Middle East." 

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He pointed to nan prevalence of Students for Justice successful Palestine, which preys connected nan conception that assemblage students should prosecute successful activism. But nan agitators besides show "a batch of ignorance," pinch immoderate having admitted complete nan past six months that they sometimes don’t cognize what they’re protesting. 

"They are portion of instigating [the protests]," Stalinsky said. "It wasn’t conscionable for illustration immoderate students were watching nan news connected Columbia, and they decided to [do] this."