The now well-documented trend of tearing down red-and-white posters showing civilians kidnapped by Hamas from Israel on Oct. 7 has reached a new level of disrespect as posters appeared at the University of Pennsylvania calling attention to a “missing cow” with the plea: “Please let us know how the cow is.”
The flier utilizes a similar design and color scheme used by activists calling attention to those imprisoned by Hamas. It offers a reward of “a box of chalk and a can of beer,” and asks people to “please email a picture if found to: Howsthecow13@gmail.com.”
Penn’s student newspaper contacted the listed email to receive the response that the purpose of the posters was “a joke to promote veganism” and that “the format of the poster was an unintentional mistake that we now realize could be misconstrued.”
The group associated with the email then condemned the terrorist attacks on Oct. 7 and insisted that its posters did not intend to reference Hamas’s murdering 1,200 people, wounding thousands and kidnapping some 240 men, women and children.
Psychiatry professor Robert Schnoll said he saw three students putting up fliers on the morning of Nov. 16; they ran off after he tried to confront them about their actions, which he called “insensitive and cruel.”
According to the university, the posters were removed, and the public safety department is working to determine who placed them.
