Twitter founder Jack Dorsey sparked controversy by expressing support for anti-Israel demonstrators who occupied a building at Columbia University, amid widespread pro-Palestinian protests in universities across the US.
Expressing his views on X, formerly Twitter, Dorsey criticised law enforcement’s response to the student protesters, many of whom were arrested after being forcefully evicted from the building.
Dorsey, the co-founder of Twitter, which was rebranded as ‘X’ after Elon Musk’s takeover, commented on a posted video depicting heavy machinery deployed by the New York police to remove the protesters, remarking, “this has been happening all over the country for over a decade.”
The tech mogul, who has over 6.4 million followers on X, also responded with “yes” to a post by left-leaning podcaster Kyle Kulinsky, who compared the Columbia protesters to demonstrators who rallied against the Iraq and Vietnam wars.
“Iraq war protesters were smeared & hated in the moment. Same with Vietnam war protesters. Today anybody with a functioning brain realizes they were 100% correct & the conventional wisdom was dead wrong. The fact that people don’t see this is exactly what’s happening now is astonishing,” Kulinsky wrote in on X post, shared on Wednesday.
Iraq war protesters were smeared & hated in the moment. Same with Vietnam war protesters. Today anybody with a functioning brain realizes they were 100% correct & the conventional wisdom was dead wrong. The fact that people don’t see this is exactly what’s happening now is…— Secular Talk (@KyleKulinski) May 1, 2024
‘Hamas supporter, raising funding in Qatar’
Following his comment on Kulinsky’s post, several users on X criticised Dorsey, accusing him of being a “Hamas supporter,” while another suggested he might be “raising funding in Qatar.”
Another commenter questioned why Dorsey wasn’t more explicit in expressing his views on Israel’s actions, calling his stance “pathetic.”
Despite the criticism, many voiced their support for Dorsey’s position on the issue. One commenter even wondered if other influential figures like Tesla CEO and X owner Elon Musk should agree with him.
In a another post, Dorsey wrote “people realizing there’s no left or right tonight.”
people realizing there’s no left or right tonight— jack (@jack) May 1, 2024
Last year, Dorsey, who now serves as the CEO of fintech giant Square, expressed his support for Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. in his long-shot bid for the presidency. Additionally, in 2013, he publicly endorsed former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, as per the New York Post report.
Since last month, at least 30 universities across the United States have rallied or established tent encampments demanding a ceasefire in Gaza, as well as divestment from Israel and companies associated with the Israeli government and its army. The protests call for colleges and universities to cut financial ties with Israel due to the Israel-Hamas war.
