The president of George Washington University (GW) released a statement Sunday saying the pro-Palestinian camp on his campus is “potentially dangerous” and has been “co-opted” by individuals unaffiliated with the school.
Ellen Granberg began her message by reiterating the school’s commitment to protecting protests that are peaceful and lawful, but said the “demonstration, like many across the country, has grown into what can only be classified as an illegal occupation and potentially dangerous property of GW.”
“[W]when protesters overstep barriers established to protect the community, vandalize a statue and university flag, surround and intimidate GW students with anti-Semitic imagery and hateful rhetoric, drive people out of a public courtyard based on their beliefs, and ignore , degrade and push GW Police officers and university maintenance personnel, the protest ceases to be peaceful or productive,” Granberg said. “All of these things have happened at GW in the last five days.”
She partly blamed those unaffiliated with the university for the state of the camp, a message similar to what other schools have conveyed amid the protests.
In numerous schools where police force was used, some of those arrested were found to have no connection to the university.
GW reportedly requested help from DC police, but they refused to clear the camp.
“As a university, we are not prepared to manage an unprecedented situation like this alone. The GW police force is, and should only be, prepared to protect our community during normal university operations and to respond to routine and urgent incidents. When illegal activities exceed these limits, we must rely on the support and expertise of the DC Metropolitan Police Department,” said Granberg.
“At this time, the District is in communication with the university, and the DC Metropolitan Police are increasing their security presence in and around University Yard,” she added.
The D.C.-area chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) denounced the president’s statement, saying she is lying and trying to villainize students.
“This statement is an implicit threat of increased state force against DC students, staff, faculty and community members who have been steadfast in our solidarity with the Palestinian people. It is shameful that Granberg would rather brutalize our community to please his Zionist donors than confront the university’s complicity in genocide,” the group said.
The group said allegations of outside influence at the camp ignore the will of the community and that attempts to use police force “failed, while community support allowed us to sustain the camp.”
The situation escalated last week after House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) called a hearing on Wednesday to discuss why police did not respond to the private university’s request .
Several Republican House members also visited campus last week amid the protests, arguing with protesters and having to shout as activists tried to drown out their speeches.
“If the faculty here, a lot of them are involved in this right now — I’ve had people proudly saying they’re teachers — and not wanting to remove a Palestinian plaque from the statue of George Washington. If they don’t want to do something about it? Well, then kiss your federal funding goodbye,” said Rep. Lauren Boebert (Colorado) during the event, into a megaphone so she could be heard.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
