Professional-Palestinian protesters had been spray-painted by a contractor at Case Western Reserve College in Cleveland, Ohio early Tuesday morning as they stood in entrance of a campus Spirit Wall that had been hijacked by Hamas supporters who had painted it over with anti-Israel messages. The protesters, who wore clear plastic face shields, stood straight in entrance of the wall in an effort to stop the contractors from doing their job. A professional-Hamas encampment at CWRU is now in its second week.
Video posted by the college’s College students for Justice in Palestine group exhibits one of many contractors spray-painting the protesters, with one lined in white paint. The group posted the video to Instagram with the message in almost all caps, “AROUND 5 AM THIS MORNING, STUDENTS WERE SPRAYED WITH PAINT WHILE CONTRACTORS CALLED BY CWRU ATTEMPTED TO COVER THE SPIRIT WALL. THEY LATER CAME CLOSER TO NOON AND COVERED THE ENTIRE WALL WITH PAINT. THE STUDENTS FOLLOWED THE SPIRIT WALL POSTING POLICY, AND ADMIN STILL HAD A PROBLEM. The lengths this college goes to defend Zionist Genocidal pursuits is insane.”
Copy of the Instagram video:
Contractors employed to color at Case Western Reserve College (CWRU) in Cleveland, Ohio determined the protesters would not cease them from doing their job at this time pic.twitter.com/QuF6tsJnj4
— Dixie (@OSiiNT) Might 7, 2024
Video posted by Cleveland.com
Case Western Reserve College President Eric Kaler issued a press release Wednesday denouncing the spray-painting of the protesters:
An replace on an in a single day incident on the Spirit Wall
To the Case Western Reserve neighborhood:Earlier at this time, I wrote to you noting that the college was investigating an incident during which a person who was portray over protesters’ writings on the Spirit Wall hit scholar protesters with paint. I’ve reviewed video footage, which depicts college students blocking the wall as a third-party contractor spray painted straight onto protesters as he tried to complete portray the wall, and I’m disturbed by what occurred.
Let me be clear: No college students—or any people—ought to ever be handled this fashion, particularly on a campus the place our core values middle on offering a secure, welcoming surroundings. This isn’t who we’re as an establishment, and I’m deeply sorry this ever occurred.
The college will proceed to completely examine these actions and maintain people liable for this conduct, together with the failure of our personal officers to intervene.
Once more, I need to reiterate my honest remorse for this incident. As with every violation of our codes of conduct, we’ll take motion to carry them accountable.
Sincerely,
Eric W. Kaler
President
Kaler beforehand issued a press release criticizing the protesters for portray “threatening, intimidating and antisemitic” messages on campus partitions.
Addressing intimidating speech on college property: Might 7, 2024
To the Case Western Reserve neighborhood,I absolutely assist people’ rights to share their viewpoints in accordance with our freedom of expression coverage. Nevertheless, that coverage—and the core values that outline our college—have been frequently violated over the previous eight days, together with yesterday afternoon when protesters on the non-sanctioned encampment on Kelvin Smith Library Oval painted an advocacy wall close to Eldred Corridor with language the college administration and lots of members of our neighborhood view as threatening, intimidating and antisemitic.
As I’ve repeatedly famous, constructive, significant exchanges ought to by no means contain harassment, incitement, or conduct that threatens and is intimidating to our neighborhood. I strongly condemn the language posted yesterday on the advocacy wall, and need to reiterate to our complete neighborhood that such language—regardless of to whom it’s directed—is not going to be tolerated on our campus.
After defacing the advocacy wall, later within the night, the protesters painted the spirit wall close to Thwing Middle with language that was much less threatening however nonetheless intimidating to some in our neighborhood. The college has painted over the advocacy wall and can full portray over the spirit wall this morning. The college is investigating an incident during which a number of protesters blocking the spirit wall had been hit by paint.
The scholars concerned in yesterday’s advocacy wall portray and those that proceed to interrupt college coverage by remaining in an unapproved encampment on personal property will likely be held absolutely accountable for his or her actions by means of the conduct course of. Any school and employees members who participate in actions that violate the liberty of expression coverage—which this encampment does—additionally will likely be required to undergo a conduct course of. The actions of all contributors, whether or not inside or exterior the CWRU neighborhood, may be in violation of felony or civil regulation.
I perceive and admire the significance of advocating for a trigger that’s deeply private and undeniably tragic, because the Israel-Hamas warfare and the ensuing lack of lives are in Israel and Gaza. However advocacy for a trigger is most persuasive when it goes again to these core values upon which Case Western Reserve operates, with duty, civility and moral conduct amongst them. I urge the coed protesters to take away the encampment and start the coed conduct course of.
Sincerely,
Eric W. Kaler
Cleveland’s mayor and chief of police issued a joint assertion, reported WOIO-TV:
Mayor Justin Bibb and Chief Annie Todd Reply to Latest Incidents on the CWRU Campus
In mild of the latest video that surfaced from the CWRU campus, which shows people being painted over with spray paint, it’s essential that we specific our stance unambiguously.
Cleveland is a metropolis for everybody, and we should respect the ideas, emotions, and voices of those that come from numerous backgrounds. These various views are what makes us particular, and in the end stronger, as a metropolis. Our neighborhood deserves venues the place they’ve the flexibility to constitutionally-express their opinions brazenly with out concern of felony interference. We assist 1st Modification rights and implore CWRU management to contemplate this and take into consideration how the selections they make and the actions they take – particularly in opposition to those that are abiding by the regulation – will affect a number of the progress we’ve collectively made as a metropolis. On the identical time, we urge people to show peacefully.
We need to be clear in that we condemn all types of violence and the Division of Police stands prepared to supply assist ought to that happen. Public security has been and all the time will likely be our primary precedence.
Mayor Bibb & Chief Todd
WOIO additionally reported a scholar protester named Raissa complaining concerning the incident:
“It was a pressurized paint gun spraying dangerous chemical compounds with carcinogens and toxins straight with no concern for well being or the well-being of a person who’s paying to be right here,” stated Raissa.
“We had some college students speaking to the police like how can they do that. The painters had been like had been following orders. The police stated we’re following orders from increased administrative and I suppose they didn’t consider the morality of what they had been doing,” stated Raissa.
Video of the encampment posted early Monday:
Case Western Reserve College issued a disperse order on Thursday. The Protesters have appeared to have doubled down by taking on your entire mall. Tensions are rising as I used to be met for the primary time by about 10 non-hostile protesters asking me for identification. pic.twitter.com/272W90wM84
— Dan Stamness (@DStamness) Might 6, 2024
The campus protest continued Wednesday night:
On day 11 of their encampment, Case Western Reserve college students to stage a sit in exterior college administration constructing. pic.twitter.com/kwpbTvw66v
— Samer Badawi (@readsamerbadawi) Might 9, 2024