Anti-Israel slogans — including one viewed as call to eliminate Jewish state — projected on library wall at prominent college. Then campus police show up.

Members of Students for Justice in Palestine on Tuesday night projected anti-Israel slogans — including one viewed as a call to eliminate the Jewish state — on the outer wall of a library at George Washington University.

That is, until campus police showed up with school administrators and put a stop to the stunt.

What are the details?

Student newspaper the GW Hatchet reported that four students from the pro-Palestine group sat on the ground in Kogan Plaza and used a slideshow to project messages on the eastern wall of Gelman Library, adding that projected phrases included:

• “Glory to our martyrs"
• “End the siege on Gaza”
• “GW the blood of Palestine is on your hands"
• “GW is complicit in genocide in Gaza"
• “Your tuition is funding genocide in Gaza"
• “Divestment from Zionist genocide now"

StopAntisemitism posted images it indicated are from the slideshow, one of which is the phrase, "Free Palestine from the river to the sea." The Hatchet reported that a variation of the phrase — “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" — was projected on the wall.

The slogan is often viewed as a call to wipe Israel off the map. The Anti-Defamation League characterizes "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" as a rallying cry for "a Palestinian state extending from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, territory that includes the State of Israel, implying the dismantling of the Jewish state."

The paper said the pro-Palestine students projected about 10 statements on the wall for more than two hours.

At one point, as pro-Palestine students chanted, "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!" Jewish students sang back in response:

The GW Hatchet said some Jewish students indicated that the demonstration made them feel unsafe and that some Jewish groups called on GW and school President Ellen Granberg to disavow the messages.

Police soon asked the four members of Students for Justice in Palestine to stop projecting the phrases, the paper said.

More from the GW Hatchet:

The officer told protesters the University’s private status meant officials could bar the group from displaying messages on the library, the namesakes of which — Melvin and Estelle Gelman — were prominent figures in D.C.’s Jewish community. Estelle Gelman served on the boards of several Jewish nonprofit organizations while Melvin endowed a chair of Judaic studies at GW.

The representative of SJP said a GWPD officer initially said the demonstration was compliant with the law and GW policy but later returned and said [Dean of Students Colette] Coleman ordered the demonstration to shut down.

The representative said the group worked to make the display compliant with GW policy but felt the University has repressed their actions regardless of whether their demonstrations follow policy.

“I feel very frustrated with how the University has responded,” the representative said, according to the paper. “They have consistently shown that they do not respect our lives. They do not respect our right to free speech. They do not respect our right to organize against the ongoing genocide that is happening to our people.”

The GW Hatchet said the officer told the students projecting the phrases that they could pack up their belongings and leave — or officials would take down the projector, adding that the group violated the Code of Student Conduct.

“The answer is no,” the officer said, according to the paper. “You have to stop. You can stop willingly and calmly and peacefully, or we’re just going to take it down.”

The GW Hatchet said the students took down the projection shortly after the exchange.

What else?

University spokesperson Josh Grossman pointed the paper to a Wednesday statement from the college confirming officials put a stop to the projections — which were “unauthorized,” in violation of GW policy, and not reflective of the school's views.

“We recognize the distress, hurt, and pain this has caused for many members of our community,” the statement adds. “The University will continue to communicate with all members of its community about support resources available during this difficult time.”

More from the GW Hatchet:

The projections come after Granberg’s statement earlier this month that condemned any “celebration of terrorism” on campus. The statement followed a student vigil for Palestinians killed in the Israel-Hamas conflict hosted by SJP where demonstrators chanted sentiments that some view as antisemitic. Granberg’s message drew sharp criticism from SJP, which posted a 10-slide statement to their Instagram repudiating her condemnation.

'Glory To Our Martyrs' I George Washington University Students Project Pro-Palestinian Activismyoutube.com

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