Northeast protesters denied the university’s account of “professional organizers” at the camp

Northeast protesters denied the university’s account of “professional organizers” at the camp

A Northeastern University student organization, Huskies for a Free Palestine, said it was not invaded by outside organizers, as school officials said after shutting down a protest camp on the Boston campus.

About 100 people were detained at the camp, although the school said those with valid school IDs were released and would face school disciplinary proceedings rather than legal action. The school said in a statement that the group had been “infiltrated by professional organizers with no connection to Northeastern.”

“We were not ‘infiltrated’ in any way, shape or form by ‘professional protestors’, no one was hired, it consisted mainly of students,” the student group said in a statement Saturday.

Allegations of hate speech: The organization also disputed the university’s statement that “the use of violent antisemitic slurs, including ‘Kill the Jews,'” was among the reasons for shutting down the protest.

“The only people hurling antisemitic slurs last night were the Zionist counter-protesters who tried to incite our peaceful encampment. Yet the university exploited this moment to lie about our encampment and allow the brutal arrest of over 100 students,” Huskies for a Free Palestine said in its statement.
Video shared with CNN showed what appeared to be at least two counter-protesters holding Israeli flags trying to provoke the crowd into chanting, “Kill the Jews.”

After shouting antisemitic words, one of them was heard saying, “Anyone on board? Anyone on board?” Some protesters responded with jeers.

Asked for additional comment, the school’s vice president of communications, Renata Nyul, said “the fact that the phrase ‘Kill the Jews’ was chanted on our campus is not in dispute,” citing news reports and video from the scene.

“Any suggestion that disgusting antisemitic comments are sometimes acceptable depending on the context is reprehensible,” Nyul said. “That language has no place on any university campus.”

Faculty group criticizes response: In a statement Saturday, Northeastern University Faculty & Staff for Justice in Palestine also spoke out against the university’s handling of the protest.

“We were shocked to learn that the North East administration issued a statement claiming that the university’s decision to arrest those at the camp was triggered by antisemitic statements allegedly made by protesters,” the group said.

“Numerous videos that have been posted online, along with eyewitness accounts from WGBH reporters and others, make it clear that the phrase in question — ‘Kill the Jews’ — was uttered by pro-Israel protesters who were trying to provoke students. in the camp.”