Anti-Israel activists vandalize Ben Franklin statue at UPenn, call it ‘symbol of imperial violence and colonialism’
The group called the disruptive vandalism a ‘visual reminder of the over 186,000 martyrs and the university’s complicity in genocide.’
The group also blamed UPenn for ‘supressing [sic] Palestinian voices.’
Anti-Israel activists at the University of Pennsylvania vandalized the Benjamin Franklin statue on campus to protest against the school’s connections to the Jewish state.
The group Up Against the Occupation, or (u)PAO, posted pictures to Instagram on Thursday showing a statue of the American Founder doused in red paint. The group called the statue “a symbol of imperial violence and colonialism.”
The organization wrote that an “autonomous group” had “poured red paint over the statue” as a “visual reminder of the over 186,000 martyrs and the university’s complicity in genocide.” The group wrote: “Penn, your hands are red,” and condemned the school as being “complicit in the Palestinian genocide.”
The post additionally criticized the university administration for suppressing the “student intifada.”
“The University has tried to supress [sic] the student intifada, supressing [sic] Palestinian voices, all in the name of ‘campus safety,’” the group posted. “There are NO Universities left in Gaza. There are NO first days. The education system of Gaza has been systematically destroyed, and the genocide has only expanded.”
“Intifada” is a term for campaigns of violence against Israeli civilians. Anti-Israel activists routinely use the term as a rallying cry.
(u)PAO’s statement concluded: “DISCLOSE. DIVEST. THE STUDENTS WILL NOT STOP, THE STUDENT MOVEMENT WILL NOT BE STOPPED. UNTIL PALESTINE IS FREE.”
A Jewish student at the University of Pennsylvania, Noah Rubin, told The Washington Free Beacon that the anti-Israel activists responsible for the vandalism should face discipline for their actions.
“Actions must have consequences. Blatant support for terrorism has become common at Penn from students and professors,” Rubin contended. “The university must hold the vandals, and their supporters, accountable.”
(u)PAO was banned this April by the UPenn administration, which wrote at the time that the group “has failed to comply with policies that govern student organizations at Penn, despite repeated efforts to engage with the group and to provide opportunities to resolve noncompliance.” The decision came following a school investigation into the organization.
The student group released a statement condemning the investigation as a “sham” shortly after its banning.
“This sham investigation, which hinged on baseless allegations of discrimination from faculty members who attended a well-publicized trip to Israel, was never completed,” the statement read.
Campus Reform has contacted the University of Pennsylvania for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
