Cornell University’s main administrative building was vandalized Monday with pro-Palestinian messages, marking a tumultuous start to the fall semester, according to the Cornell Daily Sun.
The building’s glass door was shattered and the messages “Israel bombs, Cornell pays” and “blood is on your hands” were written in red spray paint on the morning of the first day of classes, according to the Sun. Cornell is one of many universities that saw protests and other unrest in the fall and spring semesters following Hamas’ deadly Oct. 7 attack on Israel that left over 1,200 dead.
“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 activists responsible for the damage, who remained anonymous, told the Sun. “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.”
In April, Cornell students voted overwhelmingly in favor of two referendums calling on the university to publicly support a ceasefire in Gaza and divest from weapons manufacturers they claim were supporting the ongoing war, according to the Sun. The vandals cited the former university president Martha Pollack’s inaction to fulfill these demands as part of the reason for defacing the building, claiming she “tried to sneak away into retirement.”
“We are appalled by the graffiti spraypainted, and glass shattered overnight along the front entrance of Day Hall,” Joel M. Malina, vice president for university relations, said in a statement Monday following the incident. “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. Cornell Police are conducting a thorough investigation, and those responsible will be subject to suspension and criminal charges.”
The university’s interim president, Michael Kotlikoff, and interim provost John Siliciano put out a joint statement that did not directly address the event but laid out the university’s policies regarding protests and emphasized the importance of free speech on the campus.
“As long time Cornellians who have witnessed numerous periods of campus unrest, we understand the importance of faculty, staff, and students expressing themselves on topics of great significance,” they wrote. “We urge all members of the community to express their views in a manner that respects the rights of others. One voice may never stifle another. There is a time, place, and manner for all to speak and all to be heard.”
Kotlikoff and Siliciano reminded students that violence, vandalism and encampments would not be tolerated on campus.
“[A]cts 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 statement reads.
Students and staff at the university held multiple pro-Palestine demonstrations the previous semester, staging a weeks-long encampment in May and occupying a campus building in March, leading to several arrests, according to the Sun. One Cornell professor even called the attacks on Israel “exhilarating” and “exciting.”
Cornell did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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