Anarchists desecrating George Washington's statue don’t care about history

Newsflash to those not paying attention to current events for the last couple of decades: They don’t teach American history in our schools anymore. 

And what the leftist teachers, unions and administrators do try to pass off as "American history" are woke word salads projected through prisms of identity politics meant to indoctrinate generations of young American minds into believing that our heroic Founding Fathers were "evil White supremacists."

With that as factual background let’s transition to what recently took place at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. A statue of George Washington – as in the "Father" of our nation – was desecrated by anarchists on campus "protesting" Israel’s war against Hamas.  

A large American flag is unfurled at George Washington University in Washington D.C., as anti-Israel protesters desecrate a statue of the first president, on Friday, May 3, 2024. (Fox News)

The statue was defaced with multiple "Free Palestine" stickers and flags as a large Palestinian flag flew above the encampment the university president was initially afraid to dismantle.

COMER CANCELS DC ANTISEMITISM HEARING AFTER BOWSER, POLICE 'FINALLY DISMANTLE GWU ENCAMPMENT

Ironically, privilege and entitlement appear to be the coin of the realm for these pampered, wealthy and oh-so ignorant students and anarchists protesting against "privilege" and "entitlement." 

If they had ever cracked an honest history book, they would have learned that it was the genius, courage and great sacrifice of men like Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, James Madison and John Hancock that gave them the right to "protest" in our nation. A right many have shamed via violence and the vandalizing of property.

Maybe these students and anarchists – who are often funded by outside sources with far-left agendas – should pause for just a moment in their moralizing to contemplate what would happen to those "protesting" the exact same way in, say, Iran, China, North Korea or other totalitarian regimes. Rogue states untouched by the genius of our Founding Fathers.

GWU ANARCHISTS CALL FOR BEHEADINGS OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS AMID ANTI-ISRAEL ENCAMPMENT

All of this anti-history, anti-facts and anti-American nonsense is precisely why I authored a book intended to prevent the cancellation of our Founding Fathers by the far left, "The 56 – Liberty Lessons From Those Who Risked All to sign The Declaration of Independence."

With regard to the lawlessness and anarchy taking place on our college and university campuses, on July 2, 2022, I was up at West Point to discuss my book. 

Soon after my session finished, a senior officer at West Point quietly approached me and asked if he could speak with me in confidence. After we walked off to the side, he outlined in detail how his alma mater was not only "going far left but eliminating or watering down one standard and tradition after the other." With tears in his eyes, he begged me to get the word out.

COLLEGE ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS COULD BE SENT TO GAZA UNDER NEW HOUSE GOP BILL

This was not Berkeley, NYU, GW or some other "liberal" university. This was American history and sacrifice being watered down or twisted at West Point and our other service academies. If that’s not the canary in the coal mine of our rights and liberties being eradicated in allegiance to woke left narratives, I don’t know what is.    

The literal ignorance on display at George Washington University is a direct byproduct of those empowered to honestly and ethically educate our youth abandoning their responsibilities from the pre-school level all the way to the graduate level. Again, with much of this being funded by far left outside groups pushing socialist or Marxist agendas.

Sadly – and quite unnecessarily in some instances – during the height of COVID, countless high school commencement ceremonies were canceled. Now, often because of the cowardice, ineptitude or ideology of certain school presidents, more and more college and university graduation commencements are being canceled or curtailed as these so-called leaders cave to the anarchists on campus. Columbia University – the epicenter for much of the sanctioned unrest – is but the latest to cancel its university-wide commencement.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION

But alas, do not give up all hope. There are still some "profiles in courage" on some of our campuses. Adrian College’s Jeffrey Docking being one. Not only did this college president in Michigan select former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines to be the commencement speaker, but he defended his selection against the predictable backlash from both alumni and students.

Gaines, of course, has become an "enemy" of many on the left for daring to say that biological men should not compete against girls and women in sports – a belief held by the vast majority of the American people.

In defending his courageous selection of Gaines, Docking told Fox News Digital in part: "I think that higher-ed leaders need to hold strong right now and not cave in to people that want to crush free inquiry." 

Shocking. A college president speaking as one for the vast majority of Americans and not caving to the anarchist mobs running rampant on our campuses. 

George Washington would have been proud of him.

Douglas MacKinnon is a former White House and Pentagon official and author of the book: "The 56 – Liberty Lessons from those who risked all to sign The Declaration of Independence."