Joy George
Overview
Joy George promoted two Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) initiatives at Swarthmore College (Swarthmore), in 2018 and 2019. George was reportedly a core member ofStudents for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at Swarthmore College (Swarthmore) in 2019.George has whitewashed violent protesters, promoted hatred of Israel, expressed support for anti-Israel agitators and spread an anti-Israel conspiracy theory.
As of January 2020, George was reportedly a “Black Studies + Political Science” major at Swarthmore, slated to graduate in 2020. She travelled to Israel as part of an Israeli-Palestinian Conflict course taught by anti-Israel professor Sa’ed Atshan.
In April 2019, George was reportedly “an editor of Voices, Swarthmore’s online newspaper” and “a member of Aja, a healing collective for Black women, femmes and nonbinary folks.”
Swarthmore SJP Divestment Campaign
George promoted and reportedly helped lead Swarthmore SJP’s 2018-2019 BDS campaign.
On October 9, 2018, Swarthmore SJP held a rally to launch a BDS resolution that called on Swarthmore to divest from a number of companies doing business with Israel.
On October 24, 2018, Swarthmore student newspaper “Voices” published a statement by Swarthmore SJP. The statement accused seven companies of being engaged in the “murder” of Palestinian civilians” and “the indiscriminate targeting of civilians.”
On November 5, 2018, George shared Swarthmore SJP’s divestment petition to Facebook.
On December 3, 2018, Swarthmore SJP released its BDS campaign video, titled: “Why Divest from Apartheid?”
On December 12, 2018, George shared to Facebook Aja’s letter endorsing Swarthmore SJP’s BDS initiative. The letter stated that Aja “unequivocally support the BDS Campaign,” adding “we vow to commit our time, resources, and energy to move Swarthmore to divest from Israeli occupation and apartheid in Palestine.”
On that same day, George posted to Facebook: “Hey friends. SJP Rally. 1:15. Parrish. We don’t support apartheid on this side. ✌🏾😇”
On December 12, 2018, Swarthmore SJP videotaped a rally where activists reportedly delivered a petition to President Smith, urging Swarthmore to “divest from Israeli apartheid.”
In the video, Swarthmore SJP activist William Marchese also suggested [00:12:07] that Swarthmore was under “intense pressure from right-wing alumni who want to stand with apartheid.”
In February 2019, Swarthmore SJP proposed their BDS resolution to Swarthmore’s Student Government Organization (SGO). On February 10, 2019, the BDS resolution failed to pass.
On February 11, 2019, Swarthmore SJP activist Sydney Covitz co-launched a chapter of JVP at Swarthmore with the reported intention of supporting “SJP’s BDS campaign in any way.”
On February 24, 2019, the SGO Executive Board and Senate reportedly hosted an open meeting on the failed BDS resolution. At the open meeting, 40 SJP members and the newly-formed JVP chapter advocated for BDS.
George, along with SJP activists Taylor Morgan and Zoe Jannuzi, reportedly spoke at the meeting andrejected SGO’s proposal to “facilitate dialogue” with those who oppose the boycott. George also thanked JVP’s white Jewish members for “using their privilege to uplift issues facing marginalized communities.”
On March 3, 2019, the SGO held another meeting inviting student groups to again discuss the BDS resolution. SGO’s President Gilbert Orbea motioned to hold a vote among members on whether to make the meeting closed, that succeeded, after which SGO held a secret vote. At the secret vote, the SGO voted in support of the divestment resolution.
On March 12, 2019, President Smith released a statement to Swarthmore’s website in which she declined to change Swarthmore’s investment policies in accordance with the BDS resolution.
George retweeted a March 12, 2019 tweet by the BDS movement that said: “Despite right-wing online harassment of students, the Swarthmore College student government voted to recommend that the college divest from Israel.”
On April 2, 2019, the anti-Israel website Electronic Intifada published an article on Swarthmore’s divestment initiative, and quoted George as saying that students will continue to meet with President Smith “in the hopes that more substantive backing can be garnered.”
Swarthmore SJP -Boycotting Sabra Hummus
In March 2018, Swarthmore SJP published a petition calling for an end to the sale of Sabra products on campus. Sabra Hummus is partially owned by an Israeli company, the Strauss Group.
The petition accused Sabra of supporting Israeli forces who allegedly commit “countless human rights violations,” including “arbitrary murders, assaults, incarcerations, evictions, and arrests of children.”
The petition accused Sabra of supporting Israeli forces who allegedly commit “countless human rights violations,” including “arbitrary murders, assaults, incarcerations, evictions, and arrests of children.”
On April 2, 2018, George promoted on Facebook an April 4, 2018 event titled: “SJP Send-off Rally: Tell President Smith that Sabra Must Go!”
On April 4, 2018,George posted to Facebook: “In support of Students for Justice in Palestine, SASS [Swarthmore African American Student Society] is releasing the following letter. Please give it a read and read up on SJP’s movement! I encourage and hope to see you at the Parrish rally at 4:15 today!”
That day, Swarthmore SJP held a rally to support SJP members slated to meet with Swarthmore President Valerie Smith to push the Sabra boycott.
On April 11, 2018, Swarthmore SJP reportedly held another rally at Swarthmore to promote the boycott, during which they held a moment of silence for protesters who died in the Great March of Return.
Approximately 30,000 Palestinians in Gaza approached Israel’s border on March 30, 2018 as part of the “March of Return,” which was organized and funded by Hamas as a campaign of violent protests to spotlight the demand of Palestinians to “return” to Israel.
On April 30, 2018, President Smith announced that Swarthmore would continue to sell Sabra products on campus and begin selling an alternative brand of hummus.
That day, George shared Swarthmore SJP activist Mohammed Bappe’s post to Facebook, that said: “If you are angry by the college’s decision to not boycott Sabra products comment. What was conveniently left out of their email is that when we met with president Smith we explicitly said we didn’t want an alternative brand alongside Sabra but that Sabra must go.”
George added: “I am.”
On May 2, 2018, George promoted to Facebook Swarthmore SJP rally to protest Smith’s announcement and halt the sale of Sabra Hummus on campus.
Whitewashing Violent Protesters
On April 29, 2018, George shared a Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) video to Facebook that defended March of Return protesters. The caption under the video said: “Israel is deliberately using weapons of war to cause life-changing injuries to Palestinian protesters.”
On March 30, 2018, some 30,000 Palestinians in Gaza approached Israel’s border to take part in “Land Day Protests” or the “March of Return.” The March of Return
was organized and funded by Hamas as a campaign of violent protests along Israel’s border to spotlight the demand of Palestinians to “return” to Israel.
Media reports confirmed [00:00:20] the March of Return protesters’ breaches and attempted breaches of Israel’s border fence, some by armed Palestinians. One Hamas leader declared [00:00:30]: “We will take down the border [with Israel] and we will tear out their hearts from their bodies.”
On May 14, 2018, George posted to Facebook: “Cw: Violence … This is a MASSACRE. Israeli bullets paid for by the United States. Our government is authorizing and legitimizing violence against Palestinian bodies. 52 murders, call it what it is.”
George also linked to an AJ+ video with the tag-line: “UPDATE: Israeli fire has killed at least 52 Palestinians and wounded more than 1,900 in the bloodiest day in Gaza since the 2014 war.”
On May 16, 2018, a Hamas senior official, Salah al-Bardawil, stated that 50 out of 62 protesters killed during the May 14 Gaza border protest were Hamas operatives. Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) also claimed that three of its members were killed at the same protest.
AJ+ is a Qatari-funded propaganda media channel known for spreading misinformation and lies about Israel.
On May 15, 2018, George posted to Facebook a video by anti-Israel activist Noura Erakat portraying the March of the Return as the “largest civil protest” in the world. Erekat also accused [00:01:17] Israel of executing “children who are protesting.”
On that same day, George shared a video to Facebook of Hasan Piker, who claimed [00:00:18] that the March of Return demonstrations were “peaceful attempts at protesting” the U.S. government’s decision to move the American embassy to Jerusalem, and that “Israel has brutally attacked these peaceful protestors.”
On October 25, 2018, George tweeted: “‘If I get killed, I want to be wrapped in the same flag. We are demanding our right of return, and protesting for our dignity and the dignity of our future generation.’-A’ed Abu Amro, Palestinian Freedom Fighter (pictured).”
George also embedded a tweet featuring a photo of a violent demonstrator participating in the March of Return, with the comment: “When a Michelangelo with a camera captures David fighting Goliath in action.”
Promoting Hatred of Israel
On February 6, 2019, George wrote an article for the Swarthmore student newsletter “Voices” about her recent “study trip to Israel/Palestine with the Peace and Conflict Studies Program.”
In her article, George accused Israel of keeping “1.9 million living and surviving” Palestinians “in the open-air prison of Gaza,” claimed that Palestinians are “actively being denied rights and freedoms.” She also accused Israel trying “to displace, replace, and erase” Palestinians.
George also championed Nabi Saleh, Ahed Tamimi and the Tamimi family as “the catalyst of much inspiration to myself and supporters worldwide as a result of their commitment to resistance.”
On January 12, 2019, George tweeted: “I’m also still cackling because I was watching CNN with my parents earlier and they were doing a bit where they were comparing border walls around the world. When they brought up Israel I was like— what y’all finna say?” On the same thread, George added: “Are y’all really going to acknowledge apartheid?”
On June 28, 2018, George shared to Facebook an IfNotNow (INN) video promoting the group’s “NotJustAFreeTrip” campaign against Birthright Israel.
Birthright Israel is a heritage trip to Israel for Jewish young adults from across the world.
INN’s campaign titled “Not Just a Free Trip” claims that “Birthright’s programming has been funded by right-wing donors and designed to obscure, rationalize, and defend the Israeli Occupation.”
On May 15, 2018, George shared a Facebook post accusing Israel of “land theft, expulsion, and ethnic cleansing” and defended Palestinian “resistance to their brutal occupation and repression.”
On December 6, 2017, George shared a post to Facebook that said: “How the f**k does the president of America decide to make an illegal annexed city to be the capital of Israel?”
On October 17, 2017, George tweeted: “But y'all out here buddy buddy with Israel that's been occupying land and abusing Palestinian human rights for 70 years
Supporting Anti-Israel Agitators
In George’s February 6, 2019 article, she championed Nabi Saleh, Ahed Tamimi and the Tamimi family as “the catalyst of much inspiration to myself and supporters worldwide as a result of their commitment to resistance.”
Ahed Tamimi has a long history of physically attacking Israeli soldiers. Tamimi is the daughter of Bassem Tamimi, who is known for exploiting young children as political props in staged confrontations with Israeli soldiers.
The village of Nabi Saleh is a Tamimi family stronghold. It is notorious as a place where photographers gather nearly every Friday to document scenes of Palestinian residents and international activists clashing with Israeli soldiers. Much of this is instigated by the Nabi Saleh Tamimi clan.
On March 24, 2019, George tweeted: “A Black Muslim woman is being caricaturized and slandered in our media daily so as to deflect from the critique of apartheid policy…”
George also embedded a tweet by U.S. Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, in which Tlaib defended Congresswoman Ilhan Omar and condemned a newspaper advertisement calling Omar out for her anti-Semitic tweets.
Rashida Tlaib was elected to the U.S. Congress in November 2018. She has advocated for a one-state solution, endorsed the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement and called for reduced foreign aid to Israel. In July 2019, Tlaib co-sponsored a pro-BDS bill in the U.S. Congress introduced by Rep. Ilhan Omar.
Ilhan Omar was elected to the U.S. Congress in 2018. In February 2019, top Congressional leaders denounced Omar for tweeting anti-Semitic remarks.
On January 11, 2019, George posted on Instagram: “Having met with the Tamimi family and walked on this land for whom so much suffering has been dealt, my heart bleeds. I have sat with lions and been witness to their courageousness, their strength, and endless amounts of love, in this my heart shares their hope.”
George continued: “To the people of Nabi Saleh, and the people of Palestine, your fight is mine.” George also added the link and hashtag: “Bilal & Manal Tamimi # Nabi Saleh”
George retweeted a January 10, 2019 tweet by anti-Israel activist Steven Salaita that said: “The recent experiences of Angela Davis and Marc Lamont Hill illustrate that Zionism isn't merely an affront to Palestinians; it is an impediment to Black liberation, to Native decolonization, and to justice for all oppressed peoples around the world.”
In November 2018, Hill was fired from his contributor position at CNN (Cable News Network) after he gave an anti-Israel speech at the United Nations. He called [00:20:47] for a “free Palestine from the river to the sea,” a phrase associated with demands to dismantle the State of Israel. Hill also accused [00:16:19] Israel of “ethnic cleansing,” as well as [00:17:49] “white supremacy” and [00:17:56] “settler colonialism.”
On December 4, 2018, George shared to Facebook an AJ+ video of Marc Lamont Hill’s speech at the UN, captioned: “CNN fired pundit Dr. Marc Lamont Hill after he spoke at the U.N. in support of Palestinian resistance.”
On July 31, 2018, George shared to Facebook a video of Ahed Tamimi at a press conference after she was released from jail.
On January 23, 2018, George shared a video glorifying “Janna Jihad” Ayyad to Facebook, and commented: “In 10 years, ‘Of course Palestine will be free’. Even in the face of adversity there remains faith and resilience. I'm not crying, you're crying!”
Janna Jihad Ayyad Al-Tamimi, also known as Janna Jihad, is an anti-Israel youth activist. She is a relative of Palestinian propagandist Bassem Tamimi, who is notorious for exploiting young children as political props by manufacturing confrontations with Israeli soldiers who respond to the riots that Tamimi organizes.
Spreading an Anti-Israel Conspiracy Theory
George retweeted a February 23, 2019 tweet that said: “the dehumanization and abuse of the palestinian people never stops. Never.” The tweet embedded another tweet that claimed: “Israel gives pharmaceutical firms permits to test out medicines on Palestinian prisoners.”
Swarthmore SJP
Swarthmore SJP was formerly known as Swarthmore Students for Peace and Justice in Palestine (Swarthmore SPJP) from 2010-2017.Swarthmore SJP - Expressing Support for Terrorists
On March 26, 2019, Swarthmore SJP posted on Facebook in honor of Women’s History Month, celebrating “the resistance and resilience” of Khalida Jarrar as “a Palestinian feminist.”Khalida Jarrar is a senior member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terror organization. In 2017, Israel arrested Jarrar “on suspicion of involvement with terrorist activities.” In 2015, an Israeli military court sentenced Jarrar to 15 months in prison for calling to kidnap Israeli soldiers.
On March 24, 2019, Swarthmore SJP posted to Facebook celebrating Leila Khaled in honor of Women’s History Month.
Khaled, a leading member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terrorist organization, participated in the hijacking of TWA Flight 840 in 1969 and El Al Flight 219 in 1970.
On May 6, 2017, Swarthmore SPJP posted a video to Facebook of SPJP members taking part in the “Saltwater Challenge.”
The “Saltwater Challenge” was held in solidarity with over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners hunger-striking in Israeli prisons — most of whom were convicted for acts of terrorism.
The strike was initiated by Marwan Barghouti, who was serving five consecutive life sentences for his role in suicide bombings and shooting attacks during the second intifada. Barghouti led the Palestinian Authority (PA) terrorist Tanzim force and founded the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.
Barghouti also financed the guitar-case bomb used in the Sbarro Cafe massacre, where 15 civilians were killed and 130 injured.
Swarthmore SJP - Promoting Anti-Israel Agitators
On March 28, 2019, Swarthmore SJP posted to Facebook celebrating Manal Tamimi in honor of Women’s History Month.Manal Tamimi has promoted anti-Semitic blood libels as well as terror support.
On September 21, 2018, Swarthmore SJP posted to Facebook promoting Dareen Tatour. In October 2015, Tatour was placed under house arrest for incitement to violence and for support of a terrorist organization on social media.
On March 19, 2018, Swarthmore SJP hosted anti-Israel activist David Sheen.
David Sheen, a Canadian-Israeli anti-Israel activist and filmmaker, works to portray Israel as an extremist racist state. To this end, Sheen has been accused of purposefully mistranslating Hebrew articles and advertisements to make Israelis appear racist.
Swarthmore SJP - Supporting Violent Protesters
On March 30, 2019, Swarthmore SJP held a “Vigil for Gaza's Great March of Return.” The event’s Facebook description called to “Honor the lives of those murdered by Israeli military forces” on the “1-year anniversary of the ongoing Great March of Return, a series of massive nonviolent demonstrations.”On March 30, 2018, some 30,000 Palestinians in Gaza approached Israel’s border to take part in “Land Day Protests” or the “March of Return.” The March of Return was organized and funded by Hamas as a campaign of violent protests along Israel’s border to spotlight the demand of Palestinians to “return” to Israel.
On May 17, 2018, Swarthmore SJP posted to Facebook: “for the past month and a half - and increasingly in the past couple of days - the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have been massacring Palestinians in Gaza who are nonviolently protesting for their rights. Over 100 demonstrators have been killed and thousands injured, among them a number of children, most by trained snipers with explicit orders to kill.”
On May 16, 2018, Hamas senior official Salah al-Bardawil stated that 50 out of 62 Gaza border protesters killed on May 14 were in fact Hamas operatives. Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) later claimed that three of its members were also killed at the May 14 protest.
SJP
SJP is a student organization engaged in anti-Israel activity on North American college and university campuses.
The first chapter of SJP was founded in 2001 at the University of California at Berkeley by Professor Hatem Bazian. Bazian has spread classic anti-Semitism, reportedly promoted religious anti-Semitism and defended the Hamas terror group. In 2004, Bazian called for “intifada” in America.
SJP organizes anti-Israel campaigns, including running annual Israel Apartheid Weeks, often in collaboration with Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) and Muslim Students Association (MSA) campus chapters.
SJP has been a major force in pushing the anti-Semitic Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement on campuses. Chapters have initiated dozens of BDS resolutions in student governments, which have been proposed on or around Jewish holidays, a time when many Jewish students are off-campus.
SJP activists have reportedly physically assaulted, intimidated and harassed Jewish students, disrupted pro-Israel campus events and demonized pro-Israel campus organizations.
Chapters have often endorsed and campaigned for numerous terrorists and whitewashed terrorism.
BDS
The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement was founded by Omar Barghouti in 2005 to challenge “international support for Israeli apartheid and settler-colonialism.” BDS is an allegedly “Palestinian-led movement,” although leading BDS activists have admitted [00:01:01] this is not true.
One of the demands of BDS includes [point 3] what is generally known as the “right of return,” a demand discredited as a way to eliminate Israel. Barghouti said the “right of return” is a means to “end Israel’s existence as a Jewish state.”
Barghouti has said that BDS “aims to turn Israel into a pariah state, as South Africa once was.”
In his activism, Barghouti has also said [00:05:55] regarding Israel: “Definitely, most definitely, we oppose a Jewish state in any part of Palestine. No…rational Palestinian, not a sellout Palestinian, will ever accept a Jewish state in Palestine.”
The movement has been linked to numerous terrorist organizations and received a public endorsement from Hamas in 2017.
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 the infiltration of university campuses through lobbying for “BDS resolutions.” In these cases, student governments and student groups, backed by their own anti-Israel members and affiliates, have proposed resolutions on some form of boycott of, or divestment from, Israel and Israeli-affiliated entities.
Boycott resolutions, although non-binding, have been passed by student governments on numerous North American campuses.
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 on campus. On one campus, when the student government debated a BDS resolution, reports emerged of violent threats against those opposing it.
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Infamous Quotes
“I was watching CNN with my parents earlier and they were doing a bit where they were comparing border walls around the world. When they brought up Israel I was like— what y’all finna say?...Are y’all really going to acknowledge apartheid?”
“But y'all out here buddy buddy with Israel that's been occupying land and abusing Palestinian human rights for 70 years ”
