POLL: Young, college-educated Americans more likely to 'justify' Antifa riots
A Monmouth University poll found that college-educated, young Americans are more likely to think the actions of "protesters" are “justified."
The poll comes as rioters ravage major cities around the country.
The Monmouth University Polling Institute recently conducted a poll that found young, college-educated Americans are more likely to believe the violent actions of protestors are justifiable.
The poll, conducted May 28-June 1 among more than 800 U.S. adults 18 and older, asked respondents, “Have you heard about the protests across the country, including the burning of a police precinct in Minneapolis, in reaction to a recent incident where a black man died when a police officer kneeled on his neck, or have you not heard about this?” Respondents were then asked, “Given what happened, do you think the actions of the protestors were fully justified, partially justified, or not at all justified?”
[RELATED: Rutgers historian runs to rioters’ defense: ‘Antifa isn’t the problem’]
Overall, 17 percent of respondents said the actions of the “protesters” were “fully justified.” Another 37 percent said “partially justified” and 38 percent said, “not at all justified.” Respondents between the ages of 18 and 34 were the most likely to say the actions of “protesters” were justified in some way (62 percent), with 22 percent in that demographic saying they are “fully justified” and 40 percent saying they are “partially justified.” That’s compared with a combined 50 percent of those 35-54 who said their actions are fully or partially justified and 51 percent of those 55 and older who said the same.
Respondents with 4-year college degrees were more likely to justify the actions of “protesters.” Among those with four-year degrees, a combined 58 percent said the actions are either fully or partially justified compared with a combined 53 percent of respondents with no college degree who said the same.
[RELATED: As rioters destroy cities, Harvard profs condemn Trump’s ‘rhetoric of domestic terrorism’]
The results come as Campus Reform has reported on a number of college professors nationwide who have supported Antifa rioters, with some even offering to post bail for those who are arrested and one professor illustrating on Twitter how to take down “racist monuments.”
Former Antifa supporter Gabriel Nadales, who is now an employee of Campus Reform’s parent organization, the Leadership Institute, said Antifa’s violence is largely born out of “the fact that so many college administrators and college campuses...allow Antifa to work under their noses.” Nadales cited a 2019 Campus Reform article exposing how Antifa was spotted recruiting supporters on the University of Florida campus.
”We don’t allow ISIS to recruit on college campuses and we should not allow Antifa to do that either,” Nadales said.
Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @mariatcopeland
