The first day of classes has once again been met with pro-Palestinian vandalism.
“Divest from death” and “occupation=death” were spray painted in dark red on the Andrew Dickson White statue on the Arts Quad on Tuesday morning. The historic statue was also smeared with bright red paint resembling blood.
The act mirrored the first day of classes of the fall 2024 semester, when “Israel bombs, Cornell pays” and “Blood is on your hands” were spray painted in red along the front entrance of Day Hall — Cornell’s main administrative building.
In a statement to The Sun, the activists behind the Tuesday graffiti said, “We demand that Cornell divests from the weapons manufacturers that make genocide possible.”
“A ceasefire will save lives, and we hope it will be permanent,” the activists, who asked to remain anonymous, wrote. “But a ceasefire is not a free Palestine, and we will organize until we see a liberated Palestine free from genocide, occupation, and apartheid.”
A ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas went into effect on Sunday. The deal starts with a six-week period in which 33 Israeli hostages in Gaza and more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners are set to be released.
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The ceasefire marks the first pause in fighting in over a year and allows six hundred trucks carrying humanitarian relief into Gaza each day.
“In the words of National Students for Justice in Palestine, ‘A ceasefire is only the beginning. Divestment now,’” the activists wrote.
The quote refers to a Thursday announcement from National SJP — which supports over 400 SJP chapters — of a “January 21 Day of Action” to “demand accountability from our institutions” and “keep the call for divestment and an arms embargo until our universities have severed ties from all entities that made this genocide possible.”
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In a statement to The Sun, the University wrote that the Cornell University Police Department is investigating the vandalism of the A.D. White statue.
“Vandalism violates our code of conduct and the law,” the statement read. “Graffiti is property damage, which is a crime. We are committed to identifying the perpetrators responsible.”
The statement described that CUPD is asking people who “may have witnessed anything or anyone out of the ordinary in that area” to contact Cornell Police Investigations at [email protected] or 607-254-3351.
Update, January 21, 5:30 p.m.: This article was updated to include a statement from Cornell Media Relations.