A year into the Israel-Hamas war, students say a chill on free speech has reached college classrooms
Campuses across the U.S. have been calmer in the wake of last spring’s protests, yet many are mired in a lingering unease
WASHINGTON (AP) — As a junior at George Washington University, Ty Lindia meets new students every day. But with the shadow of the Israel-Hamas war hanging over the Washington, D.C., campus, where everyone has a political opinion, each new encounter is fraught.
“This idea that I might say the wrong thing kind of scares me,” said Lindia, who studies political science. “You have to tiptoe around politics until one person says something that signifies they lean a certain way on the issue.”
He has seen friendships — including some of his own — end over views about the war. In public, he keeps his stance to himself for fear that future employers could hold it against him.
“Before Oct. 7, there wasn’t really a big fear,” said Lindia, of Morristown, New Jersey.
