Gaza Campus Solidarity – Building On The Vietnam War Legacy!

Emeritus Professor Tan Sri Dato' Dzulkifli Abdul Razak 
Opinion - Bacalah Malaysia 
April 30, 2024 

The United States (US) involvement in the Vietnam (civil) war between the communists of the northern part of the country and the “democratic” south drew some relevance to what is taking place today, especially post October 7 in the Middle East.  

As early as the first half of the 1960s, anti-war protests against US military presence in Indo-China were dubbed as very controversial. Partly, due to the military draft involving many university students. 

"After all, President Richard M. Nixon who was elected in 1968, added higher expectations when he publicly promised to end the War. In fact, by April 1970, it appeared this was the case as several military operations seemed to be winding down. 

Instead, on April 30, 1970, Nixon authorised US troops to “invade Cambodia” clandestinely! Alleging that the enemies “were using safe havens in Cambodia to launch attacks on the US-backed South Vietnamese government.”

Moreover, it claimed that parts of the underground supply route, named Ho Chi Minh Trail, passed through Cambodia, a supposedly neutral nation located west of Vietnam. More controversial still is the notion that the US president made his decision without notifying the then Secretary of State, or the Defence Secretary. 

"All this emerged when Nixon addressed the nation on television two days after the invasion. While members of Congress accused the president of illegally widening the scope of US involvement in the war without their consent through a vote, the public reacted unexpectedly. 

From 1965 to 1970 more than 10 organisations at Kent State University (KSU) were involved in anti-war and civil rights activism. Not surprising, ultimately, it led to tragic events at KSU, a public university in northeast Ohio. 

"Four KSU students were shot dead and nine were injured on May 4, 1970, by members of the Ohio National Guard who opened fire on a crowd gathered to protest the Vietnam  War. Newsweek (May 18) report in an article headlined “My God! They’re Killing Us,” said it all. Photographer John Filo’s  picture of one of the fallen bodies on the campus that day, was the cover image that won the Pulitzer Prize! 

In contrast, in its immediate aftermath, a student-led strike forced the temporary closure of colleges and universities across the country. Some political observers believe the events of that day in northeast Ohio tilted public opinion against the war and may have contributed to the downfall of Nixon. 

He reportedly had earlier called student demonstrators “bums,” while others characterised them as the “communist element,” night riders, and vigilantes. 

"Following the shooting – some called it “massacre” – the University was immediately ordered closed, and the campus remained shut down for some six weeks. Meanwhile, numerous investigatory commissions and court trials followed, during which members of the Ohio National Guard testified that they felt the need to discharge their weapons because they feared for their lives. 

However, disagreements remain as to whether they were, in fact, under sufficient threat   to use force. In all, a signed statement by the Guard, drafted as part of the settlement,  read, in part:

“In retrospect, the tragedy… should not have occurred. The students may have believed that they were right in continuing their mass protest in response to the Cambodian invasion,…. Hindsight suggests that another method would have resolved the confrontation…”

On the 54th anniversary this week, many lessons could be derived with respect to Gaza Solidarity Encampment movement in open support of a sustained ceasefire in Gaza. Also to get rid of any investments in companies that support Israel and its massacre in Gaza. As the genocide enters its seventh month, there is still no clear projection as to how Israeli apartheid will be dismantled. 

Since April 18, when it all started in Colombia University, the movement has swept campuses across the US and globe with no signs of letting up. For sure, the “militarisation” of the campuses has been cited as the significant cause for the escalation of the current situation, not unlike that of the KSU!

And it remains symbolic of the division in public opinion about war in general, according to those who were involved then. 

"Could there be another method that would have resolved the confrontation as hinted? Only time will tell. For now, it does not seem so. Because the nation(s) that lost the Vietnam War are very much in the works without any remorse given the embarrassing failures that engulfed them some 50 years ago. 

As for the protesters who saw and endured police violence, mass arrest and an unbending hypocrisy being repeated yet again regarded them as their KSU moment and built on the heroic Vietnam anti-war legacy! – BACALAHMALAYSIA.MY

• The writer is Rector, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM)