Swarthmore president calls student praise of Hamas terrorists 'diverse ideas and perspectives': report
On Monday, Campus Reform reported that the Swarthmore chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine called the Hamas terrorists 'martyrs' and affirmed the 'right of Palestinian people to resist.'
Swarthmore College President Val Smith has reportedly issued a statement in which she calls students’ praise of Hamas terror actions examples the “free exchange of diverse ideas and perspectives” that “we embrace” as a “liberal arts institution.”
On Monday, Campus Reform reported that the Swarthmore chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine called the Hamas terrorists “martyrs” and affirmed the “right of Palestinian people to resist.”
Val Smith, president of @swarthmore, calls SJP celebrating the beheading of Israeli babies “free exchange of diverse ideas and perspectives” and refuses to address the organization’s abhorrent post or antisemitism by name. https://t.co/sxpIOnpQJ3 pic.twitter.com/pXvlIi1M50
— Zach Kessel (@zach_kessel) October 11, 2023
Smith does state that “hateful rhetoric and calls for violence have no place at Swarthmore,” but the statement makes no mention of Jews, Jewish students, or whom the violence is directed at, or what penalty there is for calling for violence.
In 2019, two Swarthmore fraternities disbanded after leaked documents showed a history of their members making misogynistic and homophobic remarks.
Smith praised the outcome in a statement and committed to launching a full investigation.
Smith makes no such commitment in today’s statement.