'Courage to speak freely': Internet lauds Whoopi Goldberg as she backs student protests at universities

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: On a recent episode of ABC's 'The View', co-host Whoopi Goldberg became visibly emotional as she defended the rights of students protesting on college campuses across the United States.

Fighting back tears, Goldberg passionately expressed her belief that speaking out against injustice is one of the fundamental rights of being American.

Whoopi Goldberg speaks up for protesters and criticizes media

Discussing the ongoing protests, Goldberg remarked, "Since I haven't said anything, I'm sorry, I do have to do this. It is one of the great rights as an American to stand up and say something's wrong. Regardless of what your color is, if you are a woman, man, it doesn't matter, and we must teach our people how to be on the lookout."

She continued, cautioning against media sensationalism and the exclusion of peaceful voices.

"So you see the same posters or you see the same people, but you don't see the folks who are doing peaceful stuff and saying, 'Here's what we want to do.' I would caution the media to be very careful about what they're doing and how they're handling this because what they seem to be doing is pushing a narrative that people are pushing against, which students are pushing against, which I'm thrilled to see because I like when students get mad and say, 'We want a change made,'" she said.

According to Daily Mail, police have made over 700 arrests while dispersing protests that have expanded to at least 76 universities across the US in the past week.

Columbia University issued a warning to protesting students on Monday, advising them to disperse or potentially face suspension, as their encampment has persisted for the 14th day.

Sunny Hostin sees protests as part of college tradition

Sunny Hostin echoed Goldberg's sentiments, framing the protests as part of a long tradition of activism on college campuses.

She drew parallels to past movements, stating, "I think recent protests haven't even reached the scale of the major student protest that we saw in the late 1960s against the Vietnam War, or even the 1980s against South Africa's practice of apartheid."

Alyssa Farah Griffin raises concern over antisemitic symbols at protests

However, the discussion also touched upon the complexities and controversies surrounding the protests.

Former White House aide Alyssa Farah Griffin raised concerns about the inclusion of antisemitic rhetoric and symbols in some demonstrations, emphasizing the need for all students to feel safe on campus.

Griffin remarked, "There's a right to free speech and a right to assembly, but Jews also have a right to feel safe on college campuses. ... People need to call this out, Jews are living in fear of white nationalists on one side and far-leftists, who are frankly siding with terrorists in some cases, on the other side."

Sara Haines urges universities to balance protests and education

Sara Haines expressed frustration over disruptions to education caused by the protests and called on universities to provide a platform for discourse while maintaining order and safety.

Haines stated, "That's the part that bothers me is there are parents everywhere that just want their kids that want their kids to learn. We have graduations being canceled, we have in-session classes being canceled. ... The college should provide the forum, they should not put the finger on the scale."

Internet reactions reflect diverse opinions on 'The View' discussion

Internet reactions to the discussion on 'The View' reflect a wide range of opinions.

One user replied, "Finally! A step of courage to speak freely and kindly from Whoopi and Sunny."

Another said, "Alyssa should have several seats. She’s absolutely tone deaf."

One user commented, "It's freedom of speech and it's sad people are taking the bait in people trying to mischaracterize it as HATE. They are protesting a war and humanitarian crisis, not a people, culture, or religion."

One said, "This table is honestly disgusting, Sunny being the exception of course."

One user added, "We're also not seeing the holocaust survivors who are in the midst of these protests. Or the many Jewish Americans who are also on these campuses protesting. I have not seen a protestors go after Jewish Americans. In fact, they have left a wide majority of them alone."

Another said, "Alyssa using the Lebanese and Syrian cards whenever she sees fit. Never once have I heard you mention youre part Lebanese."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.