NEW YORK, USA – Rev. Al Sharpton made some remarks on a recent appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that ignited a debate over the nature of political demonstrations, where he compared the pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses to the January 6 Capitol insurrection.
“Anytime what you are protesting for becomes secondary to what you are doing, then you’re really not protesting for it, and you, in many ways, dramatise,” Sharpton commented during the Thursday, May 2, 2024 broadcast.
During his appearance, Sharpton criticised some demonstrators for becoming the focus themselves rather than the cause they claim to support.
“What I did in other situations was to bring attention to a cause, not become the cause, and what is troubling me about a lot of this is they’ve become the cause. It’s about them. It’s not about pushing the cause,” Sharpton explained.
The civil rights icon further questioned, “How do the Democrats, how do all of us on that side say Jan. 6 was wrong if you can have the same pictures going on on college campuses?”
Discussing pro-Palestine student protests on UCLA’s campus.#MorningJoe pic.twitter.com/wWWV3TA4rg
— Reverend Al Sharpton (@TheRevAl) May 2, 2024
The context of Sharpton’s comments is the recent surge in campus activism, triggered by the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
These demonstrations, largely advocating for a cease-fire and urging institutions to cut ties with Israel, have occasionally turned violent.
Sharpton expressed concern about the approach of some protesters: “They need to ask themselves, if they were sincere, are you really focusing on what’s going on in Gaza, about the children, about the women, about the innocent people? And in Israel, are you focusing on whether or not you are violent or whether or not you can say the most incendiary statement? How are you guiding this? It’s about them, and I think they’ve lost the message, and I think that’s because they’ve been infiltrated by people that are not them.”
These comments have stirred significant reactions online.
Exavier Pope, addressing the comparison on Twitter, criticised Sharpton’s analogy: “Love him, BUT this is leadership malpractice for Al Sharpton to say this. January 6 was an outgoing President spurring on a violent revolt against the government to interfere with the peaceful transition of power domestically. Campus protests aren’t threatening democracy here,” Pope tweeted.
Love him, BUT this is leadership malpractice for Al Sharpton to say this.
January 6 was an outgoing President spurring
on a violent revolt against the government to interfere with the peaceful transition of power domestically.Campus protests aren’t threatening democracy here https://t.co/5UKeS5BkVS
— 𝐄𝐱𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐨𝐩𝐞 (@exavierpope) May 2, 2024
He emphasised that such comparisons might inadvertently align with narratives that diminish the protestors’ causes.
Al Sharpton & others on the left have to recognize the right continues to set the agenda and they keep falling for it EVERY time. It neutralizes good faith motives in the mainstream by dizzying the wider problems at hand w/ false equivalencies. Campus protests are NOT January 6
— 𝐄𝐱𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐨𝐩𝐞 (@exavierpope) May 2, 2024
Other X users had varying opinions.
It’s like a lose lose, they are mis-appropriating MLK and Maya Angelou, etc to claim moral earnestness by using the words of civil rights leaders to sanction their acts. Sharpton is authorizing this practice by blurring lines that in reality are clear as day.#unfortunate comment pic.twitter.com/TI42yoqOYk
— Yes,All Black Women👸🏾🇺🇸🇳🇬🇬🇭🇨🇲💃🏾🎵🖤 (@ceceyy) May 2, 2024
'Opportunist charlatan': Al Sharpton slammed for likening pro-Palestine campus protests to Jan 6 https://t.co/7z1An2PLEc People don't understand that when we say we stand for Palestine. you must understand, Mesopotamia And all the Middle East used to be Africa.. So to take sides… pic.twitter.com/tLWB9kwtMC
— MARK SHIELDS (@ARTESIA13) May 3, 2024
Al Sharpton on Morning Joe: “How do the Democrats, how do all of us on that side, say January 6 was wrong if you can have the same pictures going on, on college campuses?”
Mika Brzezinski: "Good lord, don't make a parallel with January 6." pic.twitter.com/ATvL86XPWx
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) May 2, 2024
Another Twitter user, Conscious Lee, humourously critiqued Sharpton’s judgment: “Al Sharpton done burned off his edges and part of his brain obviously huh??”
Al Sharpton done burned off his edges and part of his brain obviously huh?? 👀 pic.twitter.com/nbvDOnRGxb
— Conscious Lee (@TheConsciousLee) May 2, 2024
While opinions on Sharpton’s statement vary, the discussion highlights the complexities and the high stakes of political expression in today’s intensely polarized environment.
