Bret Gustafson

Bret Gustafson is a professor who showed support for the vandalization of a Jewish leader’s home in November 2023. Gustafson has also promoted hatred of Israel in the classroom.

The 2023 incident occurred following a series of Hamas terror attacks and war crimes against Israeli civilians, including mass murder, torture, rape, beheadings and kidnappings, which were executed on October 7, 2023.

The Hamas terror attacks left over 1,200 Israelis dead, hundreds kidnapped and thousands wounded. Israel retaliated with a war called “Swords of Iron,” which was going on when Gustafson made his statement.

Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S., Canada, European Union, Israel and other countries. Founded in 1987, it has killed thousands of Israeli civilians through mass shootings and suicide bombings. Hamas has also kidnapped children, families and the elderly and held them hostage in Gaza. It has desecrated [slide 7] dead bodies and launched numerous rocket attacks against Israeli civilians.

As of November 30, 2023, Gustafson was listed online as a professor of sociocultural anthropology at Washington University in St. Louis (WashU), which is located in St. Louis, Missouri.

As of the same date, Gustafson was listed online as having received a PhD in social anthropology from Harvard University (Harvard) in 2002.

On November 25, 2023, Gustafson tweeted in support of the vandalization of the home and other property of Michael Tuchin, the president of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a national pro-Israel organization.

Gustafson reportedly wrote: “...It’s an escrache tactic. (Look it up) Pretty cool I’d say. Let those who enable mass murder not live in peace.”

Escrache is a term referring to a direct-action tactic that involves publicly harassing and shaming public figures, usually by protesting in front of their homes.

Gustafson’s tweet was in response to another tweet that said: “There are many appropriate ways to protest @AIPAC. This isn’t one of them. I really hope this never happens again.”

The original tweet referenced a recent article about Tuchin’s home having been vandalized by a group of anti-Israel agitators. The group set off smoke devices and threw red paint on the house, car and driveway at his home in Los Angeles, California.

Protesters reportedly banged on pots in front of Tuchin’s home and held a sign that read: “F**k your holiday, baby killer.” The incident happened on Thanksgiving morning. The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) opened an investigation into the incident as a possible hate crime.

The stated mission of AIPAC is to “strengthen, protect and promote the U.S.-Israel relationship in ways that enhance the security of the United States and Israel.”

Supporting the Vandalization of a Jewish Leader’s Home

Hatred of Israel in the Classroom

Social Media and Weblinks