A group of George Washington University students sparked outrage, resulting in calls for their expulsion following messages projected in the school’s library supporting Hamas’ barbaric attack on Israel on October 7.
Messages reading “Glory to our martyrs,” “Reject the Zionist genocide now” and “Liberate Palestine from the river to the sea,” according to the activist group StopAntisemitism.
This is just the latest horrific example of student groups supporting terrorism on America’s college campuses.
In a message accompanying photos of the students’ gruesome act, the group explicitly stated: “We call on the President of George Washington University to immediately deport those involved.
StopAntisemitism later posted a video claiming campus police confronted the four students who created the projection. “We’re not damaging any property… It’s not physically on the side of the wall,” one of the students tells an officer.
An officer tells them that they are not going to argue with the students and tells them that they have been standing in front of the library for an hour.
This is one of the shocking images projected in the school’s library on Tuesday evening with the text: ‘Glory to our martyrs’
Another read “Divestment of the Zionist Genocide Now,” Students at Other Major Colleges Have Called on Their Schools to Stop Investing in Israel
A common Hamas slogan, ‘Liberate Palestine from the River to the Sea’, was also projected
A police officer was shown confronting the group, but they refused to budge. You can hear the officer say the group had been there for an hour
George Washington University Ellen Granberg has been called on to expel the students involved
You see the four students wearing masks and refusing to move, surrounded by projection equipment.
This isn’t the first incident to occur on the DC campus: on October 11, a group of students held a “wake” in memory of the ‘martyrs’ of Hamas.
‘The four students responsible for the pro-terrorist light show are now being confronted by the police. They refuse to move and continue to argue with the police. Unbelievable,” StopAntisemitism wrote on X.
Among those responding to the George Washington University student’s shocking statements was Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah, who called on officials at the school to “do the right thing NOW.”
“These are genocidal messages displayed on a building at George Washington University. If the students responsible for these posts are not severely punished by GWU, something is terribly wrong. Genocide is not hip, cute or in any way acceptable. GWU: Do the right thing NOW!,” Lee wrote.
In the wake of the October attacks, GWU President Ellen Granberg wrote in a letter saying the school would provide support to anyone affected by the violence.
“My message to our community emphasized the importance of coming together and caring for each other, especially those who are Israeli, Jewish, Palestinian, Muslim, Arab or connected to the region and this war,” Granberg wrote.
This is not the first incident to occur on the DC campus. On October 11, a group of students held a ‘vigil’ in memory of the ‘martyrs’ of Hamas.
Earlier this year, school officials were roundly criticized for it stood behind a psychology professor accused by students of anti-Semitism after a review by an outside law firm cleared her of the charges.
The investigation was launched after a complaint was made against professor Lara Sheehi, who allegedly told students in her diversity class that they were Islamophobic for using the term “terrorist attack.”
Israeli advocacy group StandWithUs filed the claim on behalf of Jewish students who alleged Sheehi told them, “It’s not your fault you were born in Israel,” and said the presence of Jewish students was “violent.”
The university shared findings from the company’s report, which said there was “no evidence that the discourse crossed the line,” and said StandWithUs took a “broad view of the definition of anti-Semitism,” according to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Earlier this year, GWU officials launched an investigation into allegations that psychology professor Lara Sheehi made anti-Semitic comments against Jewish students
Pro-Israel students take part in a protest in support of Israel amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza on October 12 at Columbia University in New York City.
Pro-Palestinian students held a protest at Columbia University last week
The Palestinian Solidarity Committee holds banners outside the prestigious college
Colleges across the country have issued statements about the war. Many have been criticized for not going far enough in condemning the Hamas attack, for failing to condemn the civilian deaths in Gaza, or for omitting context and history from the region.
Earlier this month, Columbia University’s campus was forced to close for a day for security reasons as hundreds attended dueling pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian rallies.
Some students were angry that a statement from the university president did not go far enough to acknowledge the Palestinian deaths.
At Columbia University, the campus was closed Thursday as a security measure as hundreds attended dueling pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian rallies. Some students were angry that a statement from the university president did not go far enough to acknowledge the Palestinian deaths.
At Yale University, “Free Palestine” messages were written in chalk on campus one evening. The next evening, some students hung posters of hostage Israelis with the word “Kidnapped.”
There was also controversy over social media posts by a professor of American studies, Zareena Grewal, who wrote after the Hamas attack: “Settlers are not citizens. This isn’t difficult.’ A petition circulated demanding her removal; Grewal did not respond to a request for comment.
In a statement, the university said it is “committed to freedom of expression” and Grewal’s comments about personal stories “represent her own views.”
Some of the most high-profile recent disputes took place at Harvard University, where the Palestine Solidarity Committee student group released a statement holding Israel “fully responsible for all the unfolding violence,” co-signed by several dozen other student organizations.
At least one student had a job offer rescinded as a result of the statement.
Former Harvard President Lawrence Summers, who is Jewish, was critical of the university’s leadership for appearing “at best neutral toward acts of terror against the Jewish state of Israel.”
“In my nearly fifty years at Harvard, I have never been as disillusioned and alienated as I am now,” Summers said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
A day later, Harvard President Claudine Gay condemned the “terrorist atrocities committed by Hamas” and said that while students have the right to speak out, “no student group—not even thirty student groups—speaks on behalf of Harvard University or its leadership.” ‘