September 2023: Palestine Writes Literature Festival

UPenn’s troubling history of antisemitism didn’t start with the Oct. 7th attack. In one instance, just the month before, the university sparked outrage after platforming the Palestine Writes Literature Festival on campus which showcased virulently antisemitic and anti-Israel speakers.

Co-chair and founder of the festival, Susan Abulhawa, has since been leading many of the anti-Israel rallies that are causing disturbances across Philadelphia.

Read More: Penn Sponsors Israel Hate-fest

UPenn professor Robert Vitalis promoted the Hamas terror group’s military wing. He posted a photo of a patch with the logo of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas.

Vitalis wrote in his post: “A quick and easy way to reduce my friends list (and it will look cool on your jacket too).”

Vitalis was also affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) student group Fossil Free Penn when it signed a statement in support of the Hamas war crimes in October 2023. 

Read More: Robert Vitalis

UPenn professor and physician, Mohammed Alghamdi helped rip down posters raising awareness of Israeli civilians kidnapped by Hamas terrorists in October 2023 and taken hostage in Gaza. Alghamdi has also spread hatred of Israel online.

In October 2023, a few weeks following Hamas terror attacks against Israel, a video emerged of Alghamdi preparing to cut down [00:00:01] posters of Israeli civilians kidnapped by the Hamas terror group and taken forcibly to Gaza.

Alghamdi can be seen [00:00:06] taking out a pair of scissors from his pocket as he stood together with other anti-Israel activists ripping down the posters.

As of November 1, 2023, Alghamdi had a profile on the Penn Medicine website where he was listed as a physician and an “Assistant Professor of Clinical Pathology and Laboratory Medicine” at Penn. However, as of December 5, 2023, his Penn Medicine profile had been deleted.

Read More: Mohammed Alghamdi

Ahmad Almallah led chants expressing support for terrorism and hatred of Israel at multiple anti-Israel rallies during Israel’s war against Hamas terrorists in late 2023. During the same period, his Twitter photo was an image of a terrorist.

Almallah co-organized one of the late 2023 rallies where he promoted terrorism, while at another rally, he called for Israel’s destruction. As of December 2023, he was listed online as a faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn).

Almallah led protesters at several anti-Israel rallies in violent chants such as: “There is only one solution, intifada revolution” and “Resistance is justified.”

Almallah is listed as a teaching faculty member in the Penn Department of English and the university’s Creating Writing Program.

Read More: Ahmad Almallah

Krystal Strong is a professor who expressed support for terrorism on October 7, 2023, the same day that Hamas carried out war crimes against Israeli civilians, including mass murder, torture, rape, beheadings and kidnappings.

Strong also led and spoke at several rallies supporting Hamas terrorist war crimes in October and December 2023.

UPenn student Tara Tarawneh was arrested for stealing an Israeli flag in November 2023. She also glorified Hamas terrorist war crimes, promoted incitement to violence and called for Israel’s destruction. In October 2023, she justified Hamas terrorism due to the “sheer fact” that Israel exists.

• “The blood of the martyrs asks my blood! ‘How could you accept the path of peaceful solution?’”
  
  
• “Do you guys remember the photo of the kids and men laughing and smiling as they sat on top of the Israeli military jeep captured by our freedom fighters?...How about the photos of the bulldozer breaking through the [Israeli-Gaza] border? Do you remember that picture? And the several other joyful and powerful images which came from the glorious October 7!"
  
  
• “I remember feeling so empowered and happy, so confident that victory was near and so tangible. I want all of you to hold that feeling in your hearts. Never let go of it. Channel it through every action you take. Bring it to the streets! Go down to the streets every day! And don’t ever let them feel that you quietly accept this genocide!”
  

The phrase "by any means necessary" is a loaded statement that has been increasingly adopted by anti-Israel groups in North America, notably by the NYC-based group Within Our Lifetime. While some might dismiss it as a catchphrase or slogan, its implications are far from benign. When the phrase is used in the context of supporting actions that lead to the brutal massacre of Israeli civilians, including the recent atrocity that was the worst single-day massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, it becomes a rallying cry for extremist views and actions. The phrase essentially legitimizes and endorses acts of violence, terrorism and hate, cloaking them under the guise of "resistance."

In the wake of rising antisemitism worldwide, particularly on North American college campuses, the phrase can no longer be ignored or taken lightly. Universities should take immediate action against student groups who endorse such dangerous rhetoric. Failure to do so not only allows for the normalization of hate speech but also makes the academic institution complicit in fostering an environment where antisemitism can thrive. It's imperative that universities condemn such language unequivocally and impose appropriate consequences on the groups that use it, lest they allow their campuses to become breeding grounds for hate, extremism and, ultimately, violence.