UPenn vows to identify group responsible for hanging hundreds of horrific ‘Missing Cow’ posters that appear to mock murdered and kidnapped Hamas terror attack victims
The University of Pennsylvania is working to identify the group behind a series of “offensive” posters that appear to mock the victims of the Hamas terror attack.
Last week, hundreds of flyers with a similar design to the Kidnapped from Israel campaign appeared on campus.
The posters feature the words ‘Missing Cow’ on a red and white masthead, along with the silhouette of a cow and the phrase ‘beef dinner’ written on it.
A box of chalk and a can of beer were offered as a reward, with people encouraged to get in touch via an email address.
The original ‘kidnapped’ posters were designed by Israeli artists Nitzan Mintz and Dede Bandaid and bear the faces and information of those abducted or murdered during last month’s Hamas attack.
The similarity between the posters and those put up after the October 7 attack has led to widespread condemnation of the institution and its president.
UPenn is trying to find out who is behind a series of posters that critics claim are fake victims of the October 7 Hamas attack.
The “Missing Cow” posters appeared on UPenn’s campus last week. The institution said it is working to hold those responsible accountable
The posters were criticized for their similarity to the Kidnapped in Israel posters designed by Israeli artists Nitzan Mintz and Dede Bandaid.
“Posters were seen all over campus mocking kidnapped Israelis and comparing hostage victims to cows,” Stop Antisemtism wrote in a post on X.
“We are at a loss for words about the source of Jew-hatred that has plagued UPenn under the failed leadership of President Liz Magill.”
The university said the posters were immediately removed and plans to take disciplinary action in accordance with its guidelines.
“Penn Public Safety is actively working to identify the individuals responsible for posting crude, deplorable posters on campus,” a university spokesperson told the Daily Pennsylvania.
When the outlet was asked about the stunt, a response from the email address provided stated that the posters were “a prank to promote veganism.”
“The size of the poster was an unintentional error that we now realize could be misinterpreted,” the email said.
The email condemned the October 7 attack and claimed the posters “did not intend to allude to that situation.”
When DailyMail.com reached out to the same email address for comment, the request was returned.
A spokesperson for UPenn said it immediately removed the posters and will take disciplinary action against those who started the campaign
The controversy comes days after UPenn came under fire for allowing “anti-Semitic” slogans to be projected on its buildings
This is not the first time UPenn has come under fire for its response to Israel’s Hamas conflict.
The institution was branded a ‘magnet for anti-Semites’ after a series of ‘anti-Semitic’ slogans were beamed onto the side of one of its buildings.
Among the statements that lit up the campus were: “Zionism is racism” and ‘Penn is financing the Palestinian genocide.’
The university is at the center of a civil complaint over concerns it is not doing enough to protect Jewish students and staff.
The Brandeis Center said it will file a complaint against the school, claiming it “has allowed the campus to become a hostile environment for its Jewish students, as well as a magnet for anti-Semites.”
The complaints “seek immediate and specific action to address increasing discrimination and harassment against Jews in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.”
Meanwhile, a clip supposedly appeared earlier this month shows a UPenn student praising Hamas’ “glorious October 7 raid” on southern Israel.
President Liz Magill said she was ‘shocked’ by the spike in anti-Semitism on her campus, but defended students’ right to a ‘free exchange of ideas’
More than 200 people are believed to have been returned to Gaza as hostages by Hamas following their terror attack, which also killed around 1,200 people.
Israel’s brutal response, which Gaza’s Health Ministry estimates has killed more than 11,000 people, has resulted in a wave of pro-Palestinian demonstrations across the country, including at UPenn.
The university has defended students’ right to organize such events, saying it would “strongly support the free exchange of ideas.”
However, amid the criticism, MaGill released a statement announcing the creation of a university task force on anti-Semitism, stating that she was “shocked” by reports of such incidents on her campus.