Outside Agitator’ Label Sparks Controversy amidst Campus Protests Against Israeli Action

As campus protests against Israel’s war in Gaza escalate, authorities are invoking a familiar tactic – labelling protesters as “outside agitators”. New York Police Department (NYPD) arrested over 100 people during recent demonstrations at Columbia University and NYU. Mayor Eric Adams claimed that these protests were being disrupted by violent outsiders throwing bottles and chairs, while Emory University President Gregory Fenves referenced ‘highly organised outside protesters’ in a university-wide letter regarding the law enforcement response to similar protests.
While there have been some reports of extremists linked to groups attending demonstrations, many protestors appear motivated by their own concerns rather than external influences. The label “outside agitator” has previously emerged during high profile movements such as Black Lives Matter and Ferguson unrest in 2014, where the accusation was levelled against peaceful protesters who were forcefully dispersed with tear gas by police forces at the time.
During a speech in 2020, former President Donald Trump also used this narrative to characterise large-scale protests across America as being overrun with professional anarchists and violent mobs linked to left wing groups. However, many of those arrested or charged during these demonstrations did not appear to be affiliated with highly organised extremist factions at all, but instead appeared young adults from suburban areas whom Trump vowed he would protect (AP).
Misinformation allegedly targeting peaceful protests against Israel’s war in Gaza has also been circulating. Some Jewish students have reported threats and antisemitic rhetoric during some demonstrations, while institutions such as Emory University moved classes online over safety concerns due to this behaviour by protesters. While proponents of freedom expression express their worries regarding outside agitators disrupting otherwise peaceful protests (Pressley), some critics argue that the term is being used in a more complicated way than it seems given its historical use during civil rights movements and other high profile social issues such as school shootings or climate change activism.
Aldon Morris, Professor Emeritus of Sociology & African American Studies at Northwestern University, has expressed concern regarding how this narrative detracts from the central issue that is driving students to protest: Israel’s war in Gaza. In 2014 Ferguson demonstrator Zach Behrensdorfer recalled police asking him where he was ‘from’, and when he replied “here”, they asked again, implying that outsiders were stirring up trouble (CNN). Morris suggests this narrative is being used as a distraction from the students’ primary aim: calling attention to Israel’s war in Gaza.
Some Jewish students have reported threats and antisemitic rhetoric during some demonstrations against Israeli action, while institutions such as Emory University moved classes online over safety concerns due to behaviour by protesters (CNN). While proponents of freedom expression express their worries regarding outside agitators disrupting otherwise peaceful protests (Pressley), critics argue that the term is being used in a more complicated way than it seems given its historical use during civil rights movements and other high profile social issues such as school shootings or climate change activism.
Aldon Morris, Professor Emeritus of Sociology & African American Studies at Northwestern University, has expressed concern regarding how this narrative detracts from the central issue that is driving students to protest: Israel’s war in Gaza (CNN). In 2014 Ferguson demonstrator Zach Behrensdorfer recalled police asking him where he was ‘from’, and when he replied “here”, they asked again, implying outsiders were stirring up trouble. Morris suggests this narrative is being used as a distraction from the students’ primary aim: calling attention to Israel’s war in Gaza (CNN).
Protests at some colleges have also drawn support outside of campus – including Atlanta organisers supporting Palestinians during recent protests against Israeli action, and local media reporting that Spelman College student was present. However, university administrators’ use of the ‘outside agitator’ trope to suppress demonstrations could ultimately strengthen movements as protestors have been mobilised in similar ways at other universities such as Yale or University Of Texas Austin (AP). It remains uncertain what narrative will become dominant regarding these protests against Israel’s war in Gaza.