Chaos in the Quad

Gaza controversy continues, escalates as flags become giant Star of David

The early morning winds blowing across Cornell this Thursday brought not only a refreshing bite in the air, but also a whole new stage of our very own Israel-Palestine conflict which has been taking place in the Arts Quad this week.

Students who found themselves pulling all-nighters in Uris Library or out for a morning jog surely noticed the chilling rearrangement of the black flags which were previously lined along the walkways. Overnight, the black flags set up by the Islamic Alliance for Justice (IAJ) miraculously transformed into a giant Star of David, the Jewish emblem of faith.

The quoted signs were also strewn along the wet grass. Although the area experienced heavy winds throughout the early hours of the morning, it is evident that most of the signs were purposefully and forcefully removed from their anchors into the dirt. The perpetrators left one sign, as a message it appears, which states the sponsors of the original exhibit.

Those responsible for the change have not been identified, and given the stark contradiction between the two displays, it is reasonable to assume that the change was not approved by the committees which originally established the flag and sign protest.

If this is the case, there will surely be an inquiry as to whether this constitutes vandalism. Unlike the perpetrators who destroyed several signs earlier this week, this most recent protest did not involve any direct destruction of material or property, but rather the destruction of the message which the protest was originally intended to convey.

Police arriving at the scene around 8:30 a.m. said that an official report will be filed, and those guilty of the purported vandalism will face reprimands brought about by the Cornell Police or the student Judicial Administration

Regardless of the identity of the architects of this act, it is apparent that they were not happy with the existing display, which has been labeled as ‘one-sided,’ and controversial, by some.

Although the supporters of the first display stand by their intention to inform students of the facts, many have argued that the signs were sympathetic to the terrorist organization Hamas and only advocated loss and mistreatment on one side of a very historically complex and multi-faceted situation.  On the other hand, the IAJ is adamant in their belief that there was no wrongdoing or partiality by a mere presentation of facts.

8:45 – Khullat Munir, leaving president of Islamic Alliance for Justice, appears at the scene, and, with the assistance of others, begins to bring awareness to the situation. Insider reporters were unable to receive comments at this time from those involved.

9:45- Munir, with the aid of other student helpers and a policeman, begin to put the signs back into place.

9:55- Another police car arrives on the scene and men begin to survey the area. The demonstration has been made very clear at this point, and one can see the curious looks on students’ faces as the quad begins to become more crowded.

10:20- Some students begin to reinforce the signs into the ground.

10:30- An unidentified student begins removing flags from the quad. Students from the cafe, most likely organizers of the original protest, rush outside to confront the student.

10:42- The Star of David display has been almost completely dismantled. At the moment, it is not clear what will be done with the black flags.

11:00- Those responsible for originally setting up the display are now rearranging the flags into some other shape…unclear at this point.

12:12- The flags have been arranged into a peace sign in front of Morrill Hall (JHF).

More developing soon as the Cornell Insider brings you more details.