Hamas Supporters Attack GWU's Trustees

WASHINGTON - Sept. 20, 2024 - PRLog -- Hamas supporters have gone beyond their earlier threats to George Washington University's [GWU] administrators, and have attacked and threatened the individual members of GWU's Board of Trustees, reports public interest law professor John Banzhaf of GWU's law school.

Just a few weeks ago, GWU supporters of Hamas went far beyond their previous illegal actions directed only at the university, and escalated it to include a key member of the administration.

If the threat of the sign was not sufficiently clear and strong, those responsible also posted that: "Let this be a message to Bracey and every administrator at this University . . . We will never falter from our demands." It also shows that the criminals can easily find and target any person they wish to intimidate into yielding to their demands (which GWU has already rejected).

Now those involved in making criminal terroristic threats, and also using public embarrassment and indirect threats to neighbors as weapons, have further escalated and greatly expanded their illegal intimidation.

They have just spray-painted in front of the homes of many members of GWU's Board of Trustees, including its chairwoman, signs reading "Stop funding genocide" and "Disclose divest now."

In addition, the students sent letters addressed to neighbors of each Trustee warning: "Danger: war criminal lives in this area."  Included in the letters were photos of the Board members and their families, says Banzhaf.

Trustees were also warned that:

"Every GW Trustee is a WAR PROFITEER—funding the MURDER, RAPE, and TORTURE of Palestinians by refusing to divest from genocide in Gaza, despite months of student and community organizing. The DMV community has showed our trustees that they will know no peace until they divest from the slaughter of our people. Let us echo this message: the people stand with Palestine, their freedom is the popular call.  We will not allow the GW administration to engage us in performative round table discussions, while our people are being slaughtered.[emphasis added]

Offering to engage in very high level face-to-face meetings with them, but only after agreeing to a number of their pre-negotiation demands gives their extortionist tactics legitimacy, and strongly suggests that GWU is afraid and might be willing to give into their demands, says Banzhaf.

Even worst, GWU has allowed the criminals to dictate who can represent GWU at these meetings, something that Banzhaf says he has never observed or even heard of anywhere in his many years of negotiations.

He hopes that the Trustees will stand up to these Hamas supporters, and that at least one of the Trustees whose home and family were threatened will file formal criminal complaints and insist that there be punishment.

http://banzhaf.net/   jbanzhaf3ATgmail.com   @profbanzhaf