When do campus protests cross the line into hate speech?

The post-October 7 debate around Israel and Gaza has reignited long-standing tensions on college campuses across the US, with many struggling to define where legitimate criticism ends and hate speech begins. On GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, Ilya Shapiro says that while it’s possible to be anti-Zionist without being antisemitic, “it’s very rare in my experience.” He points to protests targeting Hillel chapters and synagogues as examples where ostensibly political opposition to Israeli policy veers into bigotry.

The line between anti-Israel speech and antisemitism is blurry, especially in the context of heated slogans and protest chants. “When protesters chant, ‘From the river to the sea,’ that’s not just saying they oppose Netanyahu’s government—that’s a direct threat to Israel,” Shapiro says, arguing that many college demonstrations go far beyond policy critique.

Watch full episode: The battle for free speech in Donald Trump's America