Updated: Sept. 19, 2024 at 10:33 p.m.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators allegedly spray-painted in front of several Board of Trustees members’ homes and sent letters about the University’s alleged role in the war in Gaza to their neighbors Wednesday night, according to an anonymous submission to the Student Coalition for Palestine at GWU’s Instagram.
The coalition posted on Instagram Thursday afternoon photos of “Stop funding genocide” and “Disclose divest now” stenciled onto sidewalks and driveways, which the post claimed depicted pavement in front of Board members’ homes. The post included photos of letters addressed to neighboring houses with “Danger: war criminal lives in this area,” written across the top of the letter and photos of Board members, their families and injured children in Gaza included inside.
A University spokesperson said officials on Thursday learned of “vandalism and intimidation” targeting Board members and their families at their homes, and GW Police Department officials brought the issue to law enforcement officers. The spokesperson said the University will take “appropriate steps” that align with D.C. laws and University policies if officials identify the “perpetrators of these cynical and threatening acts.”
“The real and complex issues and tragedies confronting the world will not be addressed through destructive activities that implicitly threaten individual safety; in fact, they undercut meaningful and productive dialogue and stand in stark contrast to our community values,” the spokesperson said in an email.
The Instagram post states the coalition will not “allow” GW officials to engage in “performative” discussions, and requests that the Board consider their demands for financial disclosure and divestment from companies with ties to Israel in “good faith” during the Board meeting on Sept. 27.
“Every GW Trustee is a war criminal and profiteer — funding the murder, rape, and torture of Palestinians,” the post states. “The DMV community has showed our trustees that they will know no peace until they divest from the slaughter of our people.”
Pro-Palestinian students met with Deputy Provost for Academic Affairs Teresa Murphy and Associate Provost for Undergraduate Affairs and Special Programs Jeffrey Brand on Sept. 6 to discuss financial disclosure and divestment from Israel, where officials said they were unable to meet the coalition’s demands. On Wednesday the coalition said they “walked away” from their meeting last week with GW officials, who they claimed rejected conversations that would result in “material outcomes,” according to the coalition’s Instagram post.
“Divestment is off the table,” Murphy said at the Sept. 6 meeting.
Last month, the coalition posted an anonymous submission they received on Instagram that depicted “disclose divest now” spray-painted onto what the post claimed was Provost Chris Bracey’s driveway, and another photo of the same message painted on the George Washington bust at the corner of 23rd and F Streets.
This post has been updated to include a comment from a University spokesperson.
