It seems the cold weather here in Ithaca is no deterrent to the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and non-student professional protesters. Yesterday afternoon—just one day after five Israelis were brutally slaughtered by machete-wielding Palestinian “lone wolf” terrorists in a Jerusalem synagogue—approximately 50 SJP-ers and at least one professional protester descended upon Ho Plaza to deliver the usual propagandizing rhetoric about the so-called racist, terrorist apartheid state of Israel.
About half of the SJPers stood on the north side of the plaza holding two large banners while the remainder stood about fifty feet down the plaza chanting the usual slogans–“Israel is an apartheid state!”–and berating pro-Israeli students who were waving signs that read “Israel is invested peace.” A few in the SJP cohort dressed in black and wore cardboard signs reading “IDF,” which stands for Israeli Defense Force. They along with some plain-clothes protesters role-played checkpoint searches of Palestinians.
Pro-Israeli students reported to The Cornell Review that SJP students ripped one of their signs and smeared ketchup on another. At times the confrontations became aggressive, devolving into close-up shouting matches.
One pro-Israeli student, who asked to remain anonymous, stated that he was repeatedly called “Zionist scum” and was continuously provoked by a protester saying “Slap me, bitch, you know you want to.” This protester, professional protester kat yang-stevens (she does not capitalize her name), reportedly stood “one centimeter” from pro-Israeli students’ faces while shouting at them.
The Cornell Daily Sun reported other quotes such as “Apartheid is fucking apartheid,” “there’s no logic to Zionism,” and “we will respond to aggression with aggression.” Review correspondents also reported seeing SJP displays across other parts of campus, including banners featured in Duffield Hall, Sage Hall, and the under-construction Klarman Hall, one of which read “Cornell: Colonizing Since 1865.”
In other confrontations, your correspondent was a willing and enthusiastic participant. I asked the pro-Palestinian students why they were protesting on that day of all days, to which they refused to answer. When asked if they denounce Hamas, they refused to answer. Later, they contended that Hamas was trying to protect Palestinians. A bit later, they contended Hamas is not representative of Palestinians, and that Hamas are not the elected leaders of the Palestinians.
In one notable exchange, an SJP-er told me Israelis don’t belong in what is today Israel. When I replied saying the land was originally occupied by Israelis (he denied this), then co-occupied by Israelis and Palestinians (no comment), and then fought over, with the Israelis ultimately being victorious, my counterpart shrieked in utter disbelief and blood-curling outrage: “‘They fought for their land?'” He then flung a slew of curse words and walked away.
One of the most prominent figures on Ho Plaza yesterday was the previously-mentioned kat yang-stevens. She is a protester-for-hire who charges a minimum of $1500 per event (no word on whether she was actually paid by SJP, but her website indicates she does not offer services for free). She runs an organization called Groundwork for Praxis, which seeks to build “intersectional and anti-colonial resistance.” She is featured extensively in the video above. Here is her bio on her website:
kat yang-stevens is a cisgender queer woman and first generation Asian American of Chinese ancestry. kat grew up on and currently lives on occupied territories belonging to the Onondaga & Cayuga Nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy in so-called New York.
yang-stevens was also instrumental in last year’s takeover of the Student Assembly by SJP and their leftist student group allies.
Finally somebody telling it how it is, great article
Thank you. Please share it with friends and family!
Great article. I saw first hand much of the protest and was sickened by how the students and this “paid protester” handled themselves.
No confirmation on if she was actually paid for this event, but she does offer professional protesting services. Thanks for the comment.
lmao you fucking idiot
Honest journalism is so rare especially at Cornell, Ithaca, and Tompkins County. Factual report with none of the usual brainwashing sensational adjectives or character assassination that abounds in this area. Thank you for this report that allows people to form their own opinion rather than be manipulated by political spin.
That pig was right about just one thing: I DO want to slap her – preferably with a pool cue. Sorry if that offends anyone’s delicate sensibilities, but I have been around long enough to witness the moral decay our culture is undergoing, and at a rapidly advancing rate. This is nothing less than a war of ideologies: the civilized versus the barbaric. I weep for our future.