Anti-Israel agitators hit Cornell University with vandalism, protests on Ivy League school’s 1st day

Anti-Israel agitators defaced property at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and held a massive protest on the first day of classes Monday, despite administrators’ efforts to prevent a repeat of the spring chaos. 

Along the entrance of Day Hall on Monday morning, the messages “Israel bombs, Cornell pays” and “Blood is on your hands” were scrawled in red spray paint, and the door glass had been smashed. 

“We are appalled by the graffiti spraypainted, and glass shattered overnight along the front entrance of Day Hall,” Cornell’s Vice President for University Relations Joel Malina said in a statement. 

“Acts of violence, extended occupation of buildings, or property damage (including graffiti) will not be tolerated and will prompt an immediate response from public safety,” he added. “Cornell Police are conducting a thorough investigation, and those responsible will be subject to suspension and criminal charges.” 

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So-called activists, who asked the Cornell Daily Sun student newspaper to remain anonymous, issued a statement claiming responsibility for the vandalism overnight. 

“We had to accept that the only way to make ourselves heard is by targeting the only thing the university administration truly cares about: property,” the statement to the Sun said. “With the start of this new academic year, the Cornell administration is trying desperately to upkeep a facade of normalcy knowing that, since last semester, they have been working tirelessly to uphold Cornell’s function as a fascist, classist, imperial machine.” 

The activists’ statement claimed that former Cornell University President Martha Pollack “tried to sneak away into retirement” after the spring semester after opting against calling for a cease-fire in Gaza and divestment from Israel. They vowed to “continue to take action and escalate for divestment, for a free Palestine, for land back, and for all liberation struggles resisting imperialism.” 

As for “debates and peaceful protests,” the activists’ statement said, “these on their own will never be enough to achieve the change we demand.” 

On Monday afternoon, about 150 anti-Israel demonstrators organized by the “Coalition for Mutual Liberation,” marched from Ho Plaza up to Klarman Hall, filling the building and chanting phrases including, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” an antisemitic slogan calling for the elimination of the state of Israel. Using zip-ties, demonstrators hung a banner reading, “Peoples school coming soon.” 

Police arrived about 20 minutes after the protesters filled Klarman Hall and asked for student IDs so that the demonstrators could be referred for disciplinary action, the Sun reported. 

Monday’s demonstration marked the first anti-Israel protest of the 2024-2025 school year, but one student doubted that administrators would enact effective consequences to deter the behavior, given the response to an encampment that was set up in the Ithaca campus’ Arts Quad. While several students were suspended for the remainder of the spring academic term, none of the anti-Israel agitators at Cornell were arrested as a result of the encampment, in contrast with other schools. 

“I think that the university is allowing their own fear of what unhinged chaos that these students can bring upon the school dictate their decisions,” Amanda Silberstein, a junior at Cornell University, told “Fox and Friends First” on Monday. “And you know, as we’re starting a new school year, it’s imperative that these administrators keep in mind that these overtly antisemitic and blatantly illegal actions will continue on campus so long as they go unpunished, and that the administration needs to hold students accountable, or they are in effect condoning this behavior and allowing it to persist.”

Anti-Israel agitators filled Klarman Hall on Monday at Cornell University. (Judy Lucas, The Ithaca Voice / TMX)

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In a separate statement issued Monday, Cornell University Interim President Michael Kotlikoff and Interim Provost John Siliciano shared “specific planning and procedures in place” should anti-Israel demonstrations continue this fall. They acknowledge that where possible, “the university will seek to afford access to prominent campus locations for registered encampments, minimizing the likelihood of disrupting other events.”

As for protesters who do not pre-register overnight demonstrations or reserve campus space in advance for encampments, Kotlikoff and Siliciano said, “The university will respond to peaceful encampments that do not comply with these principles with progressive, interim measures aimed at ending the activity without resorting to force.” 

Students engaged in peaceful protests that do not comply with university regulations will receive a “timely warning” with the first violation, a non-academic temporary suspension the second time they violate university policy, and a third violation “will trigger a temporary academic suspension.” Faculty and staff “will be referred to their college, school, or administrative unit leadership for warning, review, and potential sanctions.” 

Cornell police responded to an anti-Israel protest at Klarman Hall. (Judy Lucas, The Ithaca Voice / TMX)

“To be clear, the above describes our response to peaceful protests that do not comply with our time, place, and manner regulations,” they said. “However, acts of violence, extended occupation of buildings, or destruction of property (including graffiti), will not be tolerated and will be subject to immediate public safety response. We will enforce these policies consistently, for every group or activity, on any issue or subject.”

The administrators also vowed to remain neutral regarding the protests’ subject matters. 

“Over the course of the year ahead, our campuses, like those of so many other universities, may become a focal point for protests. If this occurs, our response will be guided by two foundational principles. The first is Cornell’s long held and deep commitment to supporting free expression and reasoned civil discourse, to being a place where members of our community can make their views manifest without fear of intimidation or suppression. Second is the recognition that while this right is foundational, it is not unlimited,” Kotlikoff and Siliciano said. 

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“Providing a learning environment free of unlawful harassment and discrimination is essential to our educational mission and a clear requirement of federal law,” they continued. “Thus it is our responsibility and our obligation to enforce our policies ensuring that speech or actions by some members of our community does not violate the rights of others. In balancing these principles, administrative actions must be consistent and content neutral.”