John W from DC Area/Wikimedia Commons under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. George Washington University’s (GWU) Students Against Sexual Assault (SASA) Intersectionality Council posted a statement calling “Palestinian liberation” synonymous “with survivor justice”; the statement appears to have been removed.
Blake Flayton, a student at GWU and Co-Founder of New Zionist Congress, posted the statement to Twitter. The statement read: “We stand in solidarity with our Palestinian siblings undergoing apartheid and settler colonialism. Palestinian liberation is synonymous with survivor justice.” It goes onto accuses of Zionists of engaging in a “violent pursuit of territorial gain” and “ethnically cleansing indigenous Palestinians.”
The statement also claimed that a 2015 study found that Israeli authorities engage in “sexual torture” of Palestinian males and that it’s “systematic.” Additionally, the statement alleged that Israeli soldiers threaten Palestinian female “with rape and subjected them to sexual humiliating practices” and that the Israelis “train with the same discriminatory and violent tactics as the U.S. police and military apparatus.”
The statement later promoted a “healing circle” on July 14. “Israeli human rights violations are not being treated as what they are: apartheid ethnic cleansing, genocide, sexual violence, racism and oppression. We understand this is only the start of our support and dedication for our Palestinian brothers and sisters. We hold vehement beliefs in disseminating and openly discussing the impacts and ramifications of the horrors of being from and on occupied land.”
.@GWSASA, GW Students Against Sexual Assault, displays stunning bravery by releasing a statement condemning those filthy Zionists for their unique crimes of sexual perversion.
This is how antisemitism operates. Pin the Jews, and the only Jews, as the face of all you despise. pic.twitter.com/jlFphq4QB0
— Blake Flayton (@blakeflayton) July 14, 2021
Flayton tweeted that the “Palestinian liberation is synonymous with survivor justice” line “asserts that the fight to end sexual violence is tethered to the fight to end the Jewish state. You can’t make this s— up, folks.” He added in a subsequent tweet: “It’s also worth noting how incredulously libelous and fraudulent these demonizing claims are. My favorite being that somehow Israel is responsible for police violence in the United States. Ah yes, the Jews did it. The Jews did all of it.”
“Palestinian liberation is synonymous with survivor justice.” This claim asserts that the fight to end sexual violence is tethered to the fight to end the Jewish state. You can’t make this shit up, folks.
— Blake Flayton (@blakeflayton) July 14, 2021
It’s also worth nothing how incredulously libelous and fraudulent these demonizing claims are. My favorite being that somehow Israel is responsible for police violence in the United States. Ah yes, the Jews did it. The Jews did all of it.
— Blake Flayton (@blakeflayton) July 14, 2021
Jewish groups also denounced the SASA Intersectionality Council statement.
“If there are no consequence[s] for #Antisemitism masquerading as social justice the demonization and violence against Jews will only increase,” the Simon Wiesenthal Center tweeted. “This is anti-Semitism unchecked and getting uglier and uglier. Disgusting! Shame on @GWSASA!”
If there are no consequence for #Antisemitism masquerading as social justice the demonization and violence against Jews will only increase. This is anti-Semitism unchecked and getting uglier and uglier. Disgusting! Shame on @GWSASA! https://t.co/K0FJSb8Sd8
— SimonWiesenthalCntr (@simonwiesenthal) July 14, 2021
StandWithUs Co-Founder and CEO Roz Rothstein also tweeted that the GW SASA Intersectionality Council’s statement was “crazy cra*.” “So are the GW students pretending to be unaware of abuses like honor killings, lack of [women’s] rights and LGBTQ rights under Hamas and under the Palestinian authority? Why are they so unconcerned about those very real issues? Hmmmm…..”
Crazy Cra* – So are the GW students pretending to be unaware of abuses like honor killings, lack of womens rights and LGBTQ rights under Hamas and under the Palestinian authority? Why are they so unconcerned about those very real issues? Hmmmm….. https://t.co/EXfG6rG5ab
— Roz Rothstein (@RozRothstein) July 15, 2021
Melissa Weiss, Managing Editor for Jewish Insider, noted in a tweet that GW SASA appeared to remove the statement from their Instagram page but did hold their “Palestinian Healing Circle” event.
It appears @GWSASA has deleted the Instagram post linking Palestinian liberation with justice for survivors of sexual violence, but did host a "Palestinian Healing Circle" last night. https://t.co/ZUi03wz8Pz pic.twitter.com/0KuhU8u08R
— Melissa Weiss (@melissaeweiss) July 15, 2021
On July 15, GW SASA issued an Instagram post stating that their “mission is to stand in solidarity and provide support for all survivors, no matter their background. We are interested in having conversations to help us learn and grow, if your organization is interested please reach out and we’ll schedule something for our campus return in the fall. We welcome discourse and empathic dialogue seeking mutual understanding, but we do not tolerate harassment or discriminatory language in any SASA spaces.” It was not immediately clear if the post was referencing the GW SASA Intersectionality Council statement.
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GW SASA did not respond to the Journal’s requests for comment.
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