Bill Murray Compares Parkland Students to Vietnam Protestors
Bill Murray praised Parkland high schoolers for kickstarting a new push for gun control following the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in February. Speaking with NBC News, the actor said the student protestors reminded him of the student protestors that began the movement to end the Vietnam War.
“It was the students who made all the news, and that noise started, and then the movement wouldn’t stop,” Murray said. “I think, maybe, this noise that those students in Florida are making – here, today – will do something of the same nature.”
Murray touched on the fears and concerns many young people feel after each school shooting. “For children to be concerned about going to school, worried about what could happen to them at school, that makes for a horrible moment. It’s just a horrible place for us to be at.”
The actor noted that youth lent itself particularly well to spearheading such massive movements. “The thing that’s so powerful about students is that, when you haven’t had your idealism broken yet, you’re able to speak from a place that has no confusion, where there is a clear set of values.”
Murray closed by urging those over 18 to not let go of that idealism either. “Idealism is a voice that’s inside of you; it’s your conscience. That can really deteriorate along the way, depending on the road that you follow, and it can become almost dysfunctional, but it’s there. Everyone has it. Sometimes it’s just a whisper, but, in some people, it’s a shout.”
The Parkland-led protests have put growing pressure on government officials, corporations and the National Rifle Association, while also keeping the gun control debate in the media. Earlier this month, students across the country took part in National Walkout Day in protest of gun violence and on March 24th, the Marjory Stoneman Douglas students and the nonprofit organization Everytown for Gun Safety will host a massive “March for Our Lives” march on Washington D.C.