Backlash
The student protests provoked supporters of the Vietnam War and the Nixon Administration to demonstrate in their own right. In contrast to the noisy student protests, Administration supporters viewed themselves as "the Silent Majority" (a phrase coined by Nixon speechwriter Patrick Buchanan).
In one instance, in New York City on May 8, construction workers attacked student protesters in what came to be called the Hard Hat Riot.
Read more about this topic: Student Strike Of 1970