Over 30 Harvard student organizations made a joint statement the day of the assault, writing that Israel is “entirely responsible” for the “unfolding violence.”
Columbia University students from the groups Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace asserted that “the weight of responsibility for the war and casualties undeniably lies with the Israeli extremist government and other Western governments.” Likewise, Students for Justice in Palestine at Northwestern University affirmed in the aftermath of the attack that they “stand unwavering in our commitment to highlighting the profound injustices faced by the Palestinian people.”
All the statements used left-wing, anti-colonial language. Harvard students described Israel as an “apartheid regime” that forced Palestinians into “colonial retaliation.” Columbia students characterized the Israelis as “extremist … colonial-settlers.” Northwestern University students stated that it is a “grievous miscarriage of justice to portray Palestinians as the aggressors in this occupation” and that it is “morally untenable to portray Israel as the victim.”
“From Algeria to Ireland, from South Africa to Vietnam, from East Timur to Tibet, and from Native American to Black American civil rights struggles, the human desire for autonomy and dignity has historically remained powerful and unwavering,” wrote the Northwestern students. “The Palestinian narrative and efforts are woven from this same fabric of endurance and determination.”
The statements have garnered negative attention from various professors and alumni of the schools. Former Harvard University president and former National Economic Council for President Obama Lawrence Summers, wrote on Twitter that “In nearly 50 years of @Harvard affiliation, I have never been as disillusioned and alienated as I am today.” Summers also blasted the Harvard Administration for failing “to condemn” and “disassociate the University” from the student groups’ statement.
Investigative journalist Christopher Rufo responded to Summers by pointing out, “Much of the blame, of course, lies at your feet, too. What did you do to stop these cultural forces, which had been gathering on Ivy League campuses for decades? Or did you simply go along to get along and hope that it wouldn’t come to a head under your tenure?”
Rufo then shared several “current Harvard courses on ‘decolonization.’”
“It’s amazing to me how many center-left intellectuals, who have spent decades making excuses for the rhetoric of ‘decolonization,’ are now shocked to see what it means: the targeted demonization and murder of the ‘oppressor class,’” Rufo wrote in a separate Tweet.
“Boomer hippies thought k-12 progressive indoctrination would turn kids into sensitive, feminized pro-choice climate change activists. But oops they turned them into vicious little fanatics thirsty for blood instead,” added Federalist Senior Contributor Peachy Keenan.
