Hate Group Promoting Genocide Against Jews Tells Them "You Have Nothing to Fear"
UCF's Palestinian Student Association posts lullaby ahead of scheduled hate march
Ahead of their rally tomorrow, UCF’s Palestinian Student Association has posted a series of statements slandering Jews at UCF and around the world with accusations of aggression, genocide and apartheid.
PSA, which has in the past espoused antisemitic, violent, and genocidal rhetoric, again espouses multiple easily-disprovable lies in their latest communication, demonstrating their unwavering commitment to defamation. Of note are their claims that:
Gaza is “the largest open-air prison,” in which Gazans are “[prohibited] from entering or leaving,” although the UCF Jewish Monitor is unaware of any other prison in the world where people are, in fact, allowed to leave;
The border controls established by Israel and Egypt are intended to “control Palestinians,” although the UCF Jewish Monitor has never heard any group claim the U.S.-Mexico border is intended to “control South Americans”;
A “silent genocide” is taking place, although UCF Jewish Monitor is unaware of any previous genocide which increases the supposedly targeted population;
Israel perpetuates “apartheid and ethnic cleansing” against Palestinians, a claim first made by the antisemite Desmond Tutu and also easily debunked;
Israel perpetuates colonialism. The anti-historical aspects of this claim have been explained enough times to make one bored. It is clear PSA has no time to read history textbooks.
PSA also condemns all forms of “targeting and violence” directed towards them. While, if true, such actions are obviously condemnable, PSA did not provide any evidence or even make any specific claim about the supposed “targeting and violence.” If PSA does not provide any actual evidence of these instances, this claim will end up being a propagandic deflection from the intense and sustained violence against campus Jews.
It is objectively true that Palestinians, Arabs, Muslims, and Sikhs are being attacked in the U.S. by white supremacist groups capitalizing off of the current unrest, culminating in the murder of a Palestinian boy and the attempted murder of his mother. Yet PSA, a campus activism group, glosses over the disproportionately larger amount of violence being perpetuated against Jews on campus, not just overall (the number of antisemitic incidents since the start of this year is nearly 500% greater than the number of anti-Muslim incidents which occurred in all of 2022) but also on campus. Overall violence against Palestinians in the U.S. is an urgent issue that must be addressed – but campus violence is almost universally being perpetuated against Jews. When taking this into consideration, PSA’s complaint that individuals are receiving “threats by the doxing organizations, local news, mass media, and politicians who seek to belittle and discredit them” rings hollow, especially when those same individuals promote violence against Jews.
PSA also labels UCF President Cartwright’s statement “deafening and complacent;” “one-sided;” and “[failing] to mention the ongoing apartheid and ethnic cleansing.” The statement from Dr. Cartwright reads:
To the UCF Community,
We have all witnessed the distressing acts of violence and terrorism taking place in Israel that are claiming many innocent lives.
UCF stands with those around the world and across our community in condemning hate, violence, and antisemitism in all forms, including the Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel. Our hearts ache for all those personally affected by these acts of terrorism, including those in our university community who have been directly impacted.
We want to remind our community that Counseling and Psychological Services is available to students seeking support during difficult times. The Employee Assistance Program is available to provide mental health support to faculty and staff.
We recognize that events happening around the world can deeply impact members of our community, and it is essential that we approach each other with empathy.
As Knights, we must be respectful and considerate of one another, especially during challenging times. Let us stand united, supporting each other and promoting a campus culture of compassion, understanding, and peace.
It is unclear which passage from this statement could be viewed by a rational individual as “deafening and complacent.” Perhaps PSA would have preferred Dr. Cartwright take the opportunity to opine, as UCF Dems did, about how the Israelis had actually killed themselves through “provocation,” even as peace activists and anti-occupation activists lie among our dead. Any closer examination of that argument would lead one to conclude that UCF Dems, and every other organization espousing that argument, views Palestinians as subhuman animals who should be “expected” to rape women and behead babies after being “provoked” by an occupation in an entirely different area.
Further in the statement, PSA takes their deflecting claims to the next level by accusing unnamed, unspecified individuals of “dehumanizing accusations and… aggressive behaviors on the nonviolent demonstrations on campus.” Again, no proof or even specific details are given for these claims.
Laughably, their statement concludes by “[condeming] all forms of violence. We recognize and mourn all the innocent lives that were tragically taken as all deserve protection and freedom.” In a separate statement released at the same time, they also write that Jews “have nothing to fear from us or our rally.” This part of the statement should be called out for what it is: an ass-covering. After weeks of documented misconduct against Jews, after pages of recorded statements promoting violence against Jews, genocides of Jews, and dehumanization of Jews, now PSA takes a moment to “condem all forms of violence.” Unfortunately for PSA, Jews are not particularly stupid. You have shown us who you are, and we believe you.
There aforementioned separate statement reads in a similar manner, but chooses to demonize Jews in a different manner. In what can only be described as the embodiment of doublethink, PSA’s second statement (posted to their Instagram story) accuses “not Jews or Judaism, but… Zionism and the oppressor” of “oppression, genocide, stealing of land, ethnic cleansing, and apartheid, and then subsequently states that “Jews, like all human beings, have the full right to life, land, security, and happiness.” We have already debunked many of these claims, and their attempts to divorce Jews and Judaism from Zionism are patently false and clearly intended to promote Jewish assimilation, but are few things here merit mentioning:
It is accurate to describe the expulsion of Palestinians from various villages, towns, and cities in the immediate aftermath of Israel’s independence war as ethnic cleansing. In instances where this actually took place - and it did - this was not only wrong, but deeply unjust, and potentially even a war crime. Of course, it did not take place in nearly as many instances as international media often portrays: fearmongering from Arab political leaders led to voluntary fleeing, and those who did not heed the fearmongering are today full citizens of Israel, with the same rights afforded to them as Jews (in accordance with liberal democratic principles). That we have done the bare minimum - giving full rights to those who live in our borders - does not excuse the past actions which preceeded it. Mentioning it in the same breath as the lies of apartheid, genocide, and stealing of land provides the lies with a legitimacy that they do not deserve. They also seem to state that the ethnic cleansing has been happening for “over 75 years” - which is also a lie, if they meant it this way.
Jews cannot have “the full right to life, land, security, and happiness” in the absence of Zionism. PSA knows this. The reason they say it anyway is to engage, once again, in ass-covering.
The second statement proceeds to justify itself by name-dropping an organization called Jewish Voice for Peace. Some of JVP’s members are, indeed, Jewish. Specifically, they are assimilated Jews: Jews who side with white supremacists, antisemites, and other powerful entities in the hopes of being spared a similar fate to historic Jews who were massacred and persecuted for existing. History has shown that even assimilated Jews are targeted by these organizations once they outlive their usefulness; we can only hope that Jewish members of JVP realize this before it is too late.
It should be noted that these statements come after UCF PD was contacted due to the massive coincidence of UCF PSA organizing their event at the same time as Central Florida’s “Spread Cream Cheese Not Hate” event, especially given their historically genocidal and antisemitic rhetoric. How ironic. Something tells me they are unlikely to sign the pledge to avoid spreading hate - even though it will mean forfeiting a bagel with cream cheese on it. The terror!
On a personal note to our readers: there is a part of my soul which truly and genuinely wishes that we did not have anything to fear from PSA. Reading those words wrenched my heart like little else I have seen from them. Because I want it to be true. I want it to be true that they do not want us dead. I want to go back to living in the world before October 7th, the world where I did not feel constantly unsafe, constantly under attack, constantly as if I could be killed at any moment for the crime of existence. But I cannot. That world is denied to me now. Perhaps it never existed at all, and I dwelt within an illusion, blissfully unaware of the danger just beyond what I could see. But I see it all now; the veil has been torn from my eyes, and now I see the truth. I am sure that many of you know this sensation, this alteration of reality, this existential shift from assumed safety to constant vigilance. I console myself knowing that I have my family, who have blissfully been spared death for now; and that I have you all, my UCF Jewish community, who have been my family away from home. That is the one thing they cannot take from us: our Jewishness. I shall cling to it, and I hope you all will do the same. It is our light in this vast darkness.
The full statements are transcribed and included below:
A message from the board
October 31, 2023
On behalf of the students at the Palestinian student association of the University of Central Florida, we firmly stand in solidarity with the ongoing struggle for Palestinian liberation, freedom, and justice. It has been 75 years since the Nakba, known as the day of catastrophe, occurred where Palestinians have faced oppression, displacement, and expulsion from their homes and villages. They were forced out of their homes, expelling a vast majority of Palestinians which ultimately resulted in a massive refugee population. Building walls and checkpoints, to control Palestinians is inhumane. Gaza is the largest open-air prison that limits their movement and economic restrictions. They are currently held under a suffocating blockade that prohibits them from entering or leaving. Innocent civilians are being killed. Within UCF-PSA, our mission is to cultivate Palestinian culture and uplift Palestinian voices. The club was created to showcase Palestine’s heritage, bring awareness to current events unfolding, and the oppression occurring in many forms, whether on campus and globally. All students on campus deserve to feel safe and express their views without fear of islamophobia, violence, and censorship.
We condemn all forms of targeting and violence towards UCF-PSA. During the past few weeks while raising awareness for the cause, students could potentially face threats by the doxing organizations, local news, mass media, and politicians who seek to belittle and discredit them for their pro-Palestine activism. The administration of University of Central Florida response was deafening and complacent. There was a deliberate disregard to the Palestinians lives that have been lost and the Palestinian community within UCF. UCF prides itself on cultivating inclusivity and diversity, yet in the email sent out by UCF president, Alexander Cartwright, sought out to highlight a one-sided perspective and failed to mention the ongoing apartheid and ethnic cleansing that the Palestinians endured by its oppressor. This one-sided perspective is arbitrarily harmful along with the administration’s refusal to speak up and has led to detrimental and dangerous effects across campus. As a result, this gives validity to their dehumanizing accusations and endorsing their aggressive behaviors on the nonviolent demonstrations on campus. In such cases, it is important for all parties involved to listen to the concerns raised to foster a safe and inclusive environment on campus.
Our organization condemns all forms of violence. We recognize and mourn all the innocent lives that were tragically taken as all deserve protection and freedom from the silent genocide taking place. Our goal is to advocate and speak up for the Palestinians in our community and the ones suffering back home. As individuals, it is our responsibility to stand by those who are being oppressed and have a voice to stand for what is right. We must amplify and support the voices that cannot be heard, despite attempts to censor and silence us. We must unite our community and take a stand on the ongoing oppression and colonialism taking place. We must continue to paint the vision for liberty, justice, and rights for all.
Message on behalf of PSA
Our rally scheduled for this coming Wednesday (11/1) will be a legal and peaceful gathering expressing the quintessential American rights and freedoms of speech and peaceful assembly. We unequivocally condemn any antisemitic and anti-jewish actions or sentiments. Also, the loss of any innocent civilian life, Palestinian or Israeli, is a tragedy that we also condemn and grieve. We would like to tell all our Jewish brothers and sisters on campus that you have nothing to fear from us or our rally, and that we will be the first to ensure everyones safety and protection by working with UCF PD. Our mission is to share the oppression, genocide, stealing of land, ethnic cleansing, and apartheid that the innocent people of Palestine are being and have been subjected to for over 75 years not because of Jews or Judaism, but because of Zionism and the oppressor. We sincerely believe that Jews, like all human beings, have the full right to life, land, security, and happiness, but like all human beings, never at the suffering and expense of another people. The Palestinian cause is not a Muslim or Arab cause, but a human cause calling for basic human rights and freedoms that is supported by international agencies such as the UN and UNICEF. The proof for this are the Jewish organizations (Jewish Voice for Peace) and thousands of Jewish allies that support the Palestinian cause. We would like to remind everyone participating in our rally that it is a peaceful gathering wherein there will be no tolerance of violence or discrimination. Finally, all rally participants should NOT engage with any counter protestors that come to capitalize on our grief and legal, noble, and just activism calling for basic human rights, humanitarian aid, and independence for Palestinians.
