Virginia AG Denounces ‘Hateful’ Message from Pro-Palestine Students at University of Virginia

The University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va., on Aug. 19, 2017. Win McNamee/Getty Images

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares and other state leaders condemned the University of Virginia’s (UVA) pro-Palestine student group for sharing messages of support for the Hamas terrorist attack carried out in Israel on Oct. 7.

“I denounce the hateful message of the UVA Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) in the strongest terms possible,” Mr. Miyares wrote in a statement Tuesday. “You cannot ‘mourn the loss of human life’ and ‘hope for long-lasting peace’ and also cheer on the murder, rape, and hostage-taking by Hamas, a terrorist organization that exists for the destruction and murder of Jewish people.”

Students for Justice in Palestine at UVA released a statement on Oct. 8, in which the group claimed the Hamas attack on Israel represented “a step towards a free Palestine.”

“Yesterday’s rebellion was not ‘unprovoked,’ as many have claimed, but is the consequence of years of mass killings, ethnic cleansing, and oppression from Israel,” the UVA students wrote. “The quotidian violence of Israeli occupation has left many Palestinians feeling like they have no choice but to die quietly or resist loudly.”

Pro-Palestine protesters were seen holding large banners, including one that reads “Smash Israeli Apartheid, Free Palestine," and another that reads "Resistance is Justified When People Are Occupied,” as they marched along Bay Street in downtown Toronto on Oct. 9, 2023. Andrew Chen/The Epoch Times

The student group said that it mourns “the loss of human life” while also believing in “the right of colonized people” to “resist the occupation of their land by whatever means they deem necessary.”

“We stand in solidarity with Palestinian resistance fighters and all oppressed people around the world seeking freedom and a better world,” the UVA group said.

National Students for Justice in Palestine has over 200 chapters throughout North America, according to its website.

Notable Alumni Speak Out

Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert also condemned the statement from the UVA student organization. Mr. Gilbert urged his alma mater to condemn the remarks.

“Some students at my alma mater @UVA fully endorse the rape, murder, and kidnapping of innocent people which we now know includes the beheading of babies,” he wrote in a post on X. “I implore the University and [President Jim Ryan] to condemn this vile statement in the strongest possible terms and to take action.”

While the UVA president didn’t specifically respond to the statement by the student group, he did author a letter to the UVA community on Wednesday.

“There can be no justification for, and we must condemn, the actions of Hamas and the horrific violence that has taken place against civilians, including children. Sadly, the terrible war it has provoked will undoubtedly mean that more innocent lives will be lost,” Mr. Ryan wrote.

“I trust that we as a community can and will adhere to UVA’s longstanding tradition of not just allowing free speech, but promoting civil discourse, even when—perhaps especially when—we strongly disagree,” he added.

Virginia is not the only place that is dealing with this controversy. Protests for or against Israel erupted across many major cities after the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas.

In response to this assault, Israeli forces announced the launch of “Operation Swords of Iron,” calling it a “large-scale operation to defend Israeli civilians against the combined attack against Israel by Hamas.”

The Israeli military said early Friday that more than 1,300 people, including 222 soldiers, have been killed in Israel, and more than 3,000 have been injured. Many others have been taken hostage in Gaza.

Other Leaders Respond

U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-Va.) called the statement from UVA students “truly disgusting” in a post on X, and Gov. Glenn Youngkin met with Jewish community leaders on Wednesday in Virginia Beach.

In a video statement on Oct. 10, U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) called the Hamas attacks “barbaric,” and said it is essential the United States support Israel.

“This was not a military intervention by Hamas. This was a gross terrorist action that brutally killed now over 1,000 Israelis,” including children and the elderly, he said, adding that Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people in Gaza and that the terror group’s actions have been “horrific beyond words.”

“It is absolutely essential that we stand with Israel and that nations of goodwill around the world stand with Israel in this moment of need,” Mr. Warner said.