ST. LOUIS — A group of Washington University students walked out Wednesday to call for the university to condemn Israel’s attacks on Gaza as genocide and denounce a professor whose social media posts seemed to call for ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.
Protesters condemned a that they claimed uncritically endorsed Israel’s response to a Hamas attack while failing to condemn Israel’s killing of Palestinian civilians and complete blockade on the Gaza strip.
And, the students said, the university failed to support Palestinian-American and Muslim students facing threats and discrimination for speaking out, including a protest last week that drew dozens.
“We’re here to amplify the voices of students on campus who feel silenced and scared to speak out of fear they will be doxxed or their student groups will face repercussions,†Ayah Hamdan, a Palestinian-American alumnus who graduated in May, said Wednesday. “The least the university can do is write a statement that makes everyone feel heard, safe and protected and that their lives matter.â€
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A spokesperson for the school, Julie Flory, said the university replied to the letter with an invitation to “facilitate a conversation between students and the administration.â€
“We support our students expressing themselves and allow them to organize on-campus events, as long as they follow university guidelines and policies,†Flory said in an email.
Leaders of the demonstration said about 100 students participated.
The walkout, part of a national student day of protest, comes amid a tense debate on college campuses over the Israel-Palestine conflict since Hamas on Oct. 7 killed more than 1,400 Israelis and Israel retaliated with daily airstrikes and a complete siege that has killed more than 6,500 Palestinians in Gaza. Since then, in the occupied West Bank, more than 100 Palestinians have been killed in violence and Israeli raids.
Top universities like Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania have faced backlash from alumni and major donors who said college leaders didn’t forcefully enough condemn Hamas’ massacre or voice support for Jewish students. Meanwhile, pro-Palestinian students and faculty said they faced discrimination for speaking out.
Wednesday’s action came five days after the Coalition of WUSTL Students for Palestine sent a letter to administrators that said Martin used passive language that “obfuscates†Israeli army actions and occupation of Palestinian territories.
“While Chancellor Martin quickly condemned Hamas for its attacks on Israel, he has been silent as the Israeli Army starves the people of Gaza with a complete blockade of electricity, food, and water,†the coalition said in its Oct. 20 letter. “Even when students and professors on our campus threaten Palestinians and call for ethnic cleansing, the administration says nothing. And as Boeing delivers thousands of bombs for Israel to drop on the Gaza Strip, our university invites the company to campus for recruitment.â€
Martin on Oct. 10, three days after the Hamas attack, issued a statement “in support†of the campus community, including Israeli and Palestinian students.
“Like all of you, I have been following the devastating events in Israel and Gaza since this weekend. To say that this is a heart-wrenching tragedy is a gross understatement. The violence perpetrated by Hamas against the Israeli people is beyond horrific; the terrorist acts we have been witnessing are nothing short of heinous. The depravity and inhumanity are simply beyond comprehension.
“The developing humanitarian crisis in Gaza is also immensely heartbreaking. Thousands of lives have already been lost in this conflict in just the past few days and I fear that this is only the beginning of what will be an incredibly painful chapter in modern history.â€
Student protesters said the chancellor’s statement used “a racist double standard where violence against Israelis is ‘horrific,’ ‘heinous,’ and ‘simply beyond comprehension,’ while violence against Palestinians is a ‘humanitarian crisis’ with no perpetrator or intent.â€
The group also called on the university to publicly denounce statements by Seth Crosby, a genetics professor who on Oct. 13 said in social media posts that Israeli attacks on Gaza were “a much-needed cleansing†& that “Israel is not targeting humans.â€
Crosby in subsequent posts said that he was referring to Hamas, before apologizing and deleting his account, claiming Washington University had fired him.
Flory on Friday repeated the university’s previous statement that Crosby remained employed while it was “following up as appropriate, according to our policies and processes.â€
“The opinions he has expressed as an individual,†Flory said in an email, “do not represent the university’s position.â€