The College Fix

Protesters also splattered red paint over sidewalk entrance to president’s home 

Several dozen pro-Palestinian protesters at Pomona College converged late Sunday night at President Gabi Starr’s home and screamed like banshees for several minutes before shouting a series of chants and slogans aimed at the administrator.

A video posted on Instagram by Pomona Divest from Apartheid shows the students screaming at the top of their lungs, including one male who shouted “f**k you Gabi” twice outside her home near campus during the melee, which took place just before midnight. The video included the caption: “Gabi Starr will not rest peacefully while funding the bombs that rain on Gaza every night.”

The activists on Instagram indicated they wanted to get revenge on Starr as well, posting “we remember our enemies” over a video of the president from last spring yelling at anti-Israel activists occupying a campus building that held her office. She promptly called in police in riot gear and had them arrested and suspended as well.

“We are still here,” warned the post by Pomona Divest from Apartheid, posted shortly before the boisterous protest.

NEW VIDEO: Pro-Palestinian Pomona protesters scream like banshees at midnight outside president’s house, splatter red paint on her threshold

They wanted revenge on Gabi Starr, saying ‘we remember our enemies’ … recall Starr last spring called riot police and… pic.twitter.com/wevc4WgTci

— The College Fix (@CollegeFix) September 18, 2024

The Claremont Independent student news outlet reported:

At 11:52, with a countdown from three, the group began to shriek loudly. After a few minutes of yelling, they began to chant in an organized call and response. Chants included “Gabi Starr, you can’t hide; Stop funding genocide!”, “What do we want? Divestment! When do we want it? Now!”, “If we don’t get it, shut it down!”, “Intifada, Intifada; Long live the Intifada!”, “There is only one solution: Intifada revolution!”, “Gabi Starr we’re at your door; Funding Israel no more!”, “When people are occupied, resistance is justified!”, and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!”

A few minutes after midnight, the crowd went silent and a leader spoke quietly, thanking them for their participation and promising future actions soon. The group then counted down again and let out another collective scream, lasting three and a half minutes. Throughout the demonstration, the house’s lighting did not change, bar a motion-detecting light near the entrance.

The group dissipated around 12:10 A.M., leaving red paint mimicking spilled blood on the front path to the home’s entrance. Protestors also dyed the fountain at Smith Campus Center red, and reportedly vandalized Alexander Hall.

Starr’s home has been targeted by protestors before. Last spring, Starr informed Pomona’s faculty that graffiti reading “bitch” had been found on an exterior wall.

Pomona Divest from Apartheid stated on Instagram that its members screamed and chanted because Starr “funds genocide.”

“Escalation until divestment. [F]ree Palestine,” the group added.

The recent protest was not the first time this fall semester anti-Israel agitators prompted chaos on Pomona’s campus.

As The College Fix previously reported, pro-Palestinian demonstrators disrupted Pomona’s convocation ceremony in August by blocking the entrance and preventing people from attending the event. Some students and employees could not get inside as a result, prompting administrators to resort to livestreaming the event.

It costs nearly $90,000 a year to attend Pomona when factoring in tuition, fees, housing and food costs, according to the college’s website.

MORE: Police in riot gear arrest 20 pro-Palestinian protesters who stormed college president’s office

MEDIA: Pomona Divest from Apartheid / Instagram

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