The College Fix

Law professors say university president must do more given recent allegations against students

George Mason University must do more to denounce “anti-semitic” and “pro-terrorist sentiment” on campus, according to a group of law professors.

The demand from 16 law professors follows three major allegations against students at the public university in Fairfax, Va.

Law enforcement found guns, ammo, and “death to Jews” signs at the home Jena and Nora Chanaa, two Students for Justice in Palestine leaders, as previously reported by The College Fix.

The FBI is also investigating Abdullah Ezzeldin Taha Mohamed Hassan on allegations he plotted a “mass casualty attack” on the Israeli consulate in New York City, as The Fix recently reported.

The Daily Signal reported:

The 16 professors sent GMU’s president, Gregory Washington, an emailed letter calling him to show “at least as much concern for antisemitic rhetoric, intimidation, and violence on and off campus as you have about other public issues.”

“It would be very nice and indeed useful right now to be able to tell colleagues, friends, and reporters who are inquiring that the university administration has done everything it could to disassociate itself from those who have been fomenting antisemitic, pro-terrorist sentiment on campus,” the message says, “but we both know that would be false.”
They want the university to enforce a ban on wearing face masks.

President Washington reportedly told the professors that the university has denounced antisemitism and that it is waiting for legal guidance from the attorney general and local prosecutor concerning banning face masks.

Washington said the Israeli consulate and the SJP leader incidents do not appear to be related.

The Chanaa sisters were initially defended as victims who were being targeted by police for their free speech and advocacy on behalf of Palestine. “I’m worried for our students and I’m concerned for our schools,” faculty advisor Ben Manski previously told The Intercept prior to the revelations about what was found in the family’s home.

“We write with deep concern about the apparent targeting of two George Mason students for their advocacy for Palestinian human rights,” SJP groups and other progressive organizations wrote in a joint statement to President Washington.

“The punitive actions imposed on these students stem from allegations of (the students were told) graffiti causing property damage in two campus locations, yet to date no evidence has been presented to support these claims,” the letter stated.

However, reporting by The Washington Free Beacon shows law enforcement had reasons to be concerned about the sisters.

Both women are also under four-year suspensions from the school due to their alleged role in vandalizing campus by spray painting messages on the ground.

MORE: UVA alumni group accuses university of ignoring rampant antisemitism

IMAGE: GMU Coalition for Palestine/Instagram

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