Young people are still watching

To the editor:

I was in high school when the United States invaded Iraq.

I remember seeing the images of protests around the country — and even in my small Midwest farm and factory town, students in my high school walked out of class to protest the war.

At the time, I was a young conservative adopting my parents’ politics, and I believed the lies of President George W. Bush’s administration and some subservient outlets like The New York Times about the weapons of mass destruction, and how our invasion would bring peace and prosperity to the people of Iraq.

Of course, those protestors were sadly vindicated. They were proven right in the short run and the long run. Immense suffering was inflicted on the Iraqi people, and thousands of American soldiers were killed or wounded for unclear geopolitical purposes.

Watching those events unfold changed my perspective and shaped my politics. Watching people from diverse backgrounds stand up to oppose U.S. support for Israeli apartheid and genocide reminds me of this.

Many lies have been told to defend Israel from any criticism. One big difference between 2003 and 2024 is that those lies are usually immediately debunked — both by the press, and by the clear state of affairs and the images coming out of Gaza and the West Bank.

The protestors who are harassed and arrested today stand in defense of the good in humanity. It is unfortunate we have a class of “liberal” politicians, including here in the Bronx, that will peddle lies and approve the use of illiberal authoritarian tactics to silence dissent.

But young people are watching. And, just as I did, many of them see the clear truth.

Carl Wojciechowski