While violent clashes between student protesters and the Bangladeshi government continued throughout last week over the demand for quota reforms, the US hypocrisy was exhibited once again over the issue of “human rights” and “democracy” in the global south.
The US condemned the violence in Bangladesh that killed over 147, a majority of them being students protesting against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government while remaining mum about what happened in its own backyard. The US hypocrisy over violence has raised questions over whether it still enjoys the entitlement to lecture other countries.
Washington has condemned the “violence against any peaceful protests,” urging the Bangladesh “government to uphold individuals’ rights to protest peacefully.” US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller asserted that the situation in Bangladesh has been closely monitored by the embassy and the officials in Washington, “and have seen the reports of people dying, being killed in the protests.”
“Freedom of expression and peaceful assembly are essential building blocks to any thriving democracy, and we condemn the recent acts of violence in Bangladesh,” said the Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel during the press briefing on July 18th. He further acknowledged the victims of the violence saying, “Our thoughts are with those who have been killed or injured by this (violence).”
The US has defined the situation in Bangladesh following the violence that broke out during the protest as “civil unrest” as the state has issued a travel advisory against travelling to the South Asian country.
Mr Miller has emphasised repeatedly in press briefings that the embassy as well as the officials in the US are watching the situation of violence closely, condemning the killings of the people. He has urged the government to uphold the “individuals’ right to protest peacefully” and condemned “violence against peaceful protest.”
However, the stance is seen through a different lens by the US when it comes to its own territory.
US hypocrisy on students’ protests
There has been a different approach on the students protesting peacefully in the US university campuses against the Gaza genocide by Israel which has so far killed nearly 39,000 Palestinian civilians.
A report by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Dates (ACLED), an independent, international, non-profit organisation, highlights that 97% of all the demonstrations between October 7th and May 3rd have been peaceful from which “over 94% of the more than 1,360 student demonstrations” have been in solidarity with Palestine.
Yet, the police have arrested over 2,100 people during pro-Palestinian protests in the US across at least 40 colleges and universities from April 18th onwards. The police used riot gear, tactical vehicles as well as flash-bang devices to clear the students off the encampments on the campuses.
US President Joe Biden has condemned ‘violent protests’ saying “violent protest is not protected; peaceful protest is. It’s against the law when violence occurs.” He remarked, “There’s the right to protest but not the right to cause chaos.”
Interestingly, the ACLED reports, “roughly 14% of campus demonstrations with police intervention saw demonstrators become violent.”
Another report from ACLED underscores that there has been a rise of more than eight times, in police interventions against pro-Palestinian demonstrations, from March to April. It throws light on “at least 70 forceful police interventions against US campus protests, which includes the arrests of demonstrators” and physical dispersion tactics, “including the deployment of chemical agents, batons and other kinds of physical force since October 2023”. The report emphasises, that in cases where student demonstrators have gathered unopposed, police have intervened against pro-Palestine demonstrations more than five-and-a-half times as often as pro-Israel demonstrations.
The US hypocrisy and failure to meet the demands of the demonstrators
The US stance on violence against peaceful protests has been strikingly contrasting in the face of the atrocities against peaceful pro-Palestinian protests. The condemnation of the killings and arrests of people in student protests in Bangladesh seems to be very hypocritical provided the actions of the state police in the US.
It is also to note that Bangladesh, despite its violent and brutal way of dealing with the protests, has taken steps to address the demands and concerns of the demonstrators within a week. The Supreme Court has struck down a controversial High Court order that triggered the agitation. The government has formed investigative committees to find out the reasons behind the casualty. Moreover, Ms Hasina’s government, which has become increasingly unpopular, also invited the students for dialogue. On the other hand, the US has barely addressed the concerns and demands of the students demonstrating unwaveringly for over six months on the college campuses as well as taking to the streets.
Neither did any institution of the US showed concern towards the protesting students and none acknowledged that the demand placed by the students—stopping military and financial aid to Israel and forcing it to stop the Gaza genocide—are valid concerns. The so-called ‘icon’ of democracy didn’t find it appropriate to engage with the protesters and initiate a dialogue to resolve the problems. Rather, the US administration, following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s footsteps, accused the protesting students of “anti-semitism”.
In this situation, how responsible is the US government in not just condemning but dealing with the demonstrators to acknowledge their demands? How well is the US in welcoming the democratic principle of dissent when it comes to its own territory? Will the US government take responsibility for the mishandling of the demonstrating students by the US police? Will Washington heed the students’ demands over the Gaza genocide or will it continue to ignore them, further proving itself to be a hypocrite for overlooking the dissent at home while scrutinising and condemning a similar situation in other countries like Bangladesh?
