An anti-Semitic student group at George Washington University is vowing to defy the school's decision to suspend it, using a newly formed "coalition" to hold a Wednesday afternoon protest against "racist and imperialist University oppression."
After the school on Tuesday banned its Students for Justice in Palestine chapter from using university facilities and organizing campus activities for at least 90 days, the group shared a defiant social media post that vowed to continue the "movement for liberation." In order to get around the suspension, the post touted the formation of a "coalition of student organizations," the "GW Student Coalition for Palestine," which plans to hold a Wednesday afternoon campus protest against the university. While Students for Justice in Palestine is promoting that coalition and its protest, the group's post claims it is "not involved in or co-sponsoring this action."
"Protest in solidarity with SJP against racist and imperialist University repression!!" the post says. "In order to facilitate and continue the work of the movement for Palestinian liberation we have formed the GW Student Coalition for Palestine, a coalition of student organizations mobilizing and struggling towards an end to the violent Zionist system."
The defiant response came shortly after George Washington University announced the suspension of its Students for Justice in Palestine chapter over an unauthorized campus demonstration. That demonstration saw the group project pro-Hamas and anti-Semitic messages—including "Glory to our martyrs" and "Free Palestine from the river to the sea"—onto the university's library.
The university in a Tuesday evening statement said the stunt "violated university policies," given that the group was not authorized to use the library and did not comply with university officials who told its members to stop projecting the messages. The university said it will continue to restrict the group's use of school facilities after the 90-day suspension ends, though it did not provide details on how it plans to do so.
"Effective immediately, the university has prohibited SJP from participating in activities on campus," the statement said.
George Washington University did not respond to a request for comment on the newly formed "GW Student Coalition for Palestine" and its planned Wednesday protest.
The student leader of the George Washington University Students for Justice in Palestine chapter is known for his long history of radical anti-Semitic activism. That student, university junior Lance Lokas, gave a speech in May that glorified Palestinian terrorist "martyrs" for making the "ultimate sacrifice" and called for violent "resistance" against Israelis, the Washington Free Beacon reported.
George Washington University is the latest campus to crack down on Students for Justice in Palestine, whose various chapters have publicly stated their "unwavering support" for Hamas and called for resistance "by any means necessary." Columbia University on Friday announced its suspension of its Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace chapters after both groups violated school policies.