CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Following a student-led group's online statement supporting Palestinian resistance against Israel "by whatever means they deem necessary," the University of Virginia (UVA) is getting the attention of some Virginia leaders who are detesting the statement.
In the statement, which was posted on Instagram one day after Saturday's attack, the group Students for Justice in Palestine at UVA says it "unequivocally supports Palestinian liberation and the right of colonized people everywhere to resist the occupation of their land by whatever means they deem necessary."
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"The events that took place yesterday are a step towards a free Palestine," the message reads. "They reflect the power and resilience of the Palestinian people in the face of 75 years of continued brutal oppression. The occupation is unsustainable, freedom is not a matter of if, but when."
The student group received backlash from some Republican politicians on social media Tuesday, including Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert and U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans.
Gilbert, who attended UVA, demanded the university deplore the students' message in "the strongest possible terms" and "action."
He, along with Miyares and Kiggans, went on to describe the violence happening in Israel, referencing the murder, rape and kidnapping occurring.
"Hamas terrorists are going door-to-door executing women, children, and the elderly in cold blood. Those they don't torture and kill, they are using as human shields," Kiggans posted.
Miyares made a call back to the antisemitism circulating in 2017 when protesters in Charlottesville chanted anti-Semitic phrases and displayed swastikas' and Nazi salutes during a Unite the Right demonstration.
"There should be room on our college campuses for free speech and substantive foreign policy discussions, but the hateful message of the Students for Justice in Palestine is exactly the wrong approach," Miyares wrote.
The latest report lists the death toll as more than 2,000 people, with that number expected to climb.
On Wednesday, UVA President Jim Ryan shared a statement condemning the Hamas attack.
"Since Hamas launched the brutal terrorist attacks on Israel on Saturday, it has been heartbreaking to learn of the devastation and sorrow wrought by what can only be described as atrocities in a region that has experienced far too many of them in its history," Ryan wrote.
"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. Like so many others, I fervently hope for a swift end to the violence."
Ryan encouraged students coping with the situation to reach out to UVA's Office of Student Affairs or CAPS team for support.
