Cornell history professor Russell Rickford speaks to a pro-Palestine crowd
On Monday afternoon, footage surfaced of a Cornell history professor calling the Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel “exhilarating.” Hamas’ attacks in Israel left more than 1,300 dead and several thousand more wounded.
Russell Rickford, an Ithaca-based associate professor of history, was speaking to a rallied crowd Sunday afternoon when he made the remarks. The Review can confirm that the rally took place on the Ithaca Commons.
Rickford’s comments were seemingly made off-the-cuff. He began by describing the consequences of the Hamas terrorist attacks, that they have “changed the terms of the debate,” that “nothing will be the same again.” Hamas’ actions have been described by experts as “the worst breach in Israel’s defenses since Arab armies waged war in 1973.”
Rickford’s description quickly became an endorsement, about a minute into the video. “[The Palestinians] were able to breathe for the first time in years. It was exhilarating! It was exhilarating, it was energizing!” Rickford closed his remarks by stating: “I was exhilarated!”
The crowd erupted into thunderous applause and chants of “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” This chant is frequently used by pro-Palestinian activists, referencing the establishment of Palestinian state from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.
Rickford, who “specializes in African-American political culture” and “transnational social movements” graduated from Howard with a degree in journalism, then completed his masters and doctorate at Columbia University.
Rickford also stated that “if [the Palestinians] weren’t exhilarated by … this challenge to the monopoly of violence … then they would not be human!”
Shortly after the video surfaced on Twitter, Cornell President Martha Pollack sent out yet another statement reaffirming her disgust over the Hamas terrorist attacks. This follows a saga where Pollack declined to use the word “terrorism” in her original statement on the matter, then sent a follow-up reassuring the Cornell community of her condemnation.
This afternoon’s email left little to the imagination. Pollack even included a definition of terrorism in her message:
The brutal attacks shattered countless innocent lives, caused unimaginable pain and challenged our very understanding of humanity. The intentional targeting and killing of innocent civilians is the very definition of terrorism.
Pollack’s message also comes as many on campus, including prominent student organizations, issued a statement blaming Israel for the attacks. The Student Assembly also narrowly tabled a resolution that would have asked Pollack to issue a statement recognizing a long legacy of Israeli misconduct that, they alleged, led to the current state of war.
Rickford is not the first Cornell official to speak on behalf of Hamas. A Johnson school DEI official last week called the attacks “resistance,” leading to the university quickly distancing itself.
A full transcript of Professor Rickford’s comments follows.
“What has Hamas done? Hamas has shifted the balance of power. Hamas has punctured the illusion of invincibility. That’s what they’ve done – you don’t have to be a Hamas supporter to recognize that. Hamas has changed the terms of the debate. [unintelligible] Nothing will be the same again. Nothing will be the same again. Hamas has challenged the monopoly of violence. And in those first few hours, [unintelligible] There are many thousands of goodwill– many Palestinians conscious who abhor violence, as you do, as do I, who abhor the targeting of civilians, as do you, as do I – who were able to breathe. They were able to breathe for the first time in years. It was exhilarating! It was exhilarating, it was energizing! And if they weren’t exhilarated by this, this challenge to the monopoly of violence, by this shifting of the balance of power, then they would not be human! I was exhilarated!”
Correction: an earlier version of this article made reference to the Sophie Fund, an Ithaca-based mental health nonprofit. The Sophie Fund is not at all connected to the rally where Rickford spoke, and has condemned the remarks. A banner for the organization could be seen in footage of Rickford’s remarks. The Sophie Fund has provided the following statement to the Review:
We would like to make it clear that this banner was for our annual cupcake contest event held the day before, on Saturday October 14. We were not informed that a political rally would take place at the Pavilion on the following day and deeply regret any mistaken association with it due to the unrelated juxtaposition of the banner. The Sophie Fund condemns the murder of Israeli civilians as well as the repugnant remarks made at the Sunday rally.
