Dagmawi Woubshet

On October 16, 2023, Woubshet spoke at a rally in support of Hamas terrorist war crimes. The rally was held at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) and titled: “Collective Walkout for Palestine.”

On October 16, 2023, Penn professors and students staged a “walkout” in support of the Hamas terror attack against Israel nine days earlier. The aim of the event was to “protest the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in Gaza and stand in solidarity with Palestine.”

The protest, which was organized by Penn Against the Occupation (PAO), was titled: “Collective Walkout for Palestine,” where participants walked out of classes to the on-campus rally.

One professor led [00:00:03] the chant: “When people are occupied, resistance is justified!” Palestinians and anti-Israel activists often use the term “resistance” as a euphemism for nationalistic terror and to glorify anti-Semitic violence.

Another professor claimed [00:00:07] Israel “desecrates the memory of the Nazi Holocaust,” and at least one speaker accused [00:00:48] Israel of “genocide.”

At the rally, Woubshet said [00:22:22]: “I stand here with you all in solidarity and also offended as a citizen of the world, as a human being, by what we have seen over the past ten days. Nearly 7,000 bombs have come down in a week? Over a million, close to a million people forced to leave their homes? That’s offensive. That should offend all of us who have any, any human pulse…”

Woubshet continued [00:23:10]: “I also stand here as an educator of this institution, outraged by the reaction of our administration…We are an educational institution, we are not a corporate entity. How we react, how we react should not be determined by an alumni, by a trustee, by dollar signs, but by the very mission and prerogative of an educational institution, which is to educate us.”

Woubshet also said [00:25:03]: “The Palestinian people are entitled to their historical and moral rights and no community should be allowed to forget or ignore them. The Palestinian cause is not only just, but is also a sacred duty for the entire world.”

On Saturday, October 7, 2023, approximately 2,900 heavily armed Hamas terrorists breached Israel’s border with Gaza. They executed numerous war crimes on civilians, including mass murder, beheadings of children, rape of men and women, torture, kidnappings and mutilation.

Hamas broadcast videos of their butchery on social media, often to victims’ accounts for families to see. Israel retaliated with a war called “Swords of Iron.” As of November 10, 2023, approximately 1,200 Israelis, the vast majority of them civilians, were murdered during the attacks. Hamas kidnapped 242 Israelis, including at least 30 children. At least 3,500 people were wounded, many severely.

A terrorist detained by Israel admitted he raped an Israeli woman when he broke into a kibbutz house during the October 7, 2023 attack. In March 2024, a former hostage of Hamas publicly stated she was sexually abused and tortured while in captivity.

For more information on the October 7, 2023 terror attacks, see the Canary Mission page on Hamas.

On January 29, 2024, Woubshet reportedly participated in a “die-in” and vigil on the steps of Penn’s main administration building organized by Penn Faculty for Justice in Palestine (PFJP), blocking the main entrance. Some participants held a banner that read: “Gazans murdered by Israel since 10/7/23” and others held signs that said: “Penn faculty against genocide.”

In an article published in the Philadelphia Inquirer on the day of the “die-in”, PFJP colleague Bassil Kublaoui said: “Criticism of a foreign state that is committing genocide is not antisemitism.” Woubshet added: “Critique is the lifeblood of the university. We teach our students to hone a critical sensibility. That’s one way to be an ethical citizen, here, and also when our students leave and are out in the world.”

On May 12, 2024, Woubshet participated in an interview with anti-Israel activist Owen Jones to discuss the pro-Hamas encampment at Penn, called the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment”.

In the interview, Woubshet advocated for the encampment, saying [00:03:07]: “...Well, it’s crucial, um, on one hand, I mean personally, um, to speak out when a genocide is taking place…” and [00:03:59]: “...it is to support, uh, our students who are part of the encampment engage in an enormous effort to educate the campus…and that’s why, many of us as faculty, fully supported our students. ”

On May 10, 2024, Woubshet was featured in a CBS Philadelphia video condemning Penn’s administrative decision to dismantle the pro-Hamas encampment at Penn. In the video, Woubshet said [00:01:21]: “...a sad day, a low point at this university. It’s abhorrent. It’s abhorrent. To take such punitive, reprehensible action against its own students it’s a shameful act.”

On April 25, 2024, anti-Israel activists from Penn, Temple University and Drexel University set up the "Gaza Solidarity Encampment" on the Penn campus to protest Israel's war against Hamas.

The encampment was one of over 140 pro-Hamas and anti-Israel college encampments set up in North America, and over 20 more globally, in the spring of 2024. The first began on April 17, 2024, at Columbia University. The encampments were unofficially known as the “student intifada,” borrowing a term associated with terrorist violence.

Protesters harassed Jewish students, blocked Jews from campus facilities and shouted anti-Semitic slogans. They occupied campus grounds, in many cases illegally, caused property damage, violently took over buildings, celebrated terrorism and promoted the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.

Activists set up encampments to oppose Israel’s right to wage war against the Hamas terror group following October 7, 2023, when Hamas murdered approximately 1,200 people, including 32 American and 8 Canadian citizens. Hamas also kidnapped 252 people, including 11 Americans and the bodies of 2 murdered Canadians. As of May 26, 2024, 125 hostages remained in Hamas captivity.

For more information on the October 7, 2023 terror attacks, see the Canary Mission page on Hamas.

As of February 2024, Woubshet was listed as an associate professor of English at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Woubshet’s faculty profile said he was “a scholar, writer, and translator, working at the intersection of African American, LGBTQIA+, and African studies.”

Woubshet received a PhD in history from Harvard University (Harvard) in 2007 and a bachelor’s degree in political science and history from Duke University (Duke) in 1998.

The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement was founded by pro-terror activist Omar Barghouti in 2005 to turn “Israel into a pariah state, as South Africa once was.” Barghouti has also called for Israel's destruction and the BDS movement demands would result in that same goal.

BDS initiatives include calling on institutions and individuals to divest from Israeli-affiliated companies, promoting academic and cultural boycotts of Israel, and organizing anti-Israel rallies, protests and campaigns.

The movement’s most notable achievement has been infiltrating university campuses through lobbying for “BDS resolutions.” In these cases, student governments propose resolutions to boycott or divestment from Israel or Israeli-affiliated entities. BDS activity is often aggressive and disruptive. It has been noted that universities that pass BDS resolutions see a marked increase in anti-Semitic incidents and pro-terror activism on campus.

October 16, 2023 - Speaking at Pro-Hamas Rally at Penn

January 29, 2024 - Participating in Anti-Israel Die-In & Vigil at Penn

Support for Pro-Hamas Encampment at Penn

Biographical Information

Boycott, Divestment, Sanction (BDS)

Social Media and Weblinks