George Washington University, a private school in downtown Washington, D.C., stated on Tuesday that it is aware of reports of people placing vials with “an unknown substance” around an Israel Fest celebration last week, “in an apparent attempt to disrupt the festival.”
“At least one student was injured by this incident, which is now under an investigation that will examine among other things whether individuals were targeted based on their Jewish faith,” the school said. “The university condemns this reprehensible and criminal action.”
“The university, in cooperation with law enforcement as appropriate, will utilize all available avenues to investigate these concerning reports thoroughly and hold any perpetrators who are identified accountable to the fullest extent under university policies and applicable law,” GW said.
The Metropolitan Police Department, in Washington, told JNS that it “did not take a report, and the incident is being handled by the GW Police Department.”
JNS asked if the department would investigate now that GW had made the announcement. “The incident is being handled by the GW Police Department,” Addi Vander Velde, public affairs specialist for the Metropolitan Police Department, told JNS. (JNS sought comment from the university and its police department.)
Jonathan Turley, J.B. and Maurice C. Shapiro professor of public interest law at GW and director of its environmental law advocacy center, wrote that “given the history of antisemitic protests on campus, the incident is chilling for many on our campus.”
“Israel Fest is a celebration of Israeli food, music and culture. This year’s gathering was held on April 27,” he wrote. “The event often draws protesters. I have spoken to Jewish students about their fear of attending, including visiting the popular camel brought to campus each year. Others have told me how students in classes for weeks have been bad-mouthing the planned event and have described those attending as ‘supporting genocide.’”
“All of my children went to George Washington University. After the October massacre, my kids witnessed students pulling down pictures of hostages and other anti-Israeli protests,” he wrote. “We still need to learn more about this incident, including why news of the alleged attack was so delayed. The university released a statement on May 5, the week after the event.”
“I am perplexed by when the university first learned of the incident and whether there was a police report on that day. The university clearly has enough information to characterize the incident as ‘criminal’ in nature. If so, it is not clear why it was not immediately known to the campus, which has an alert system in place,” he wrote. “It is also unclear why the Hatchet, our campus newspaper, did not report on this incident. I may have missed something last week, but I only learned of the incident in the last 24 hours.”
“There are lingering concerns over past delays and coverage of damage caused by protesters on campus,” he added. “There may be a reasonable explanation for the delay, but the university would be wise to make it public without further delay. Parents are likely to wonder why they receive an immediate alert for a fire truck on campus but have to wait until the following week to hear of a possible hate crime against a Jewish student.”
Tali Cohen, Washington regional director at the Anti-Defamation League, told JNS that “the disturbing incident at Israel Fest at George Washington University appears to have been intended to directly target Jewish students and foster an atmosphere of fear.”
“We applaud GW leadership for acting swiftly,” Cohen said. “We have spoken with law enforcement and school leaders and will continue to push for immediate action to ensure consequences for such conduct and an environment where students are safe to celebrate their identity.” (JNS sought comment from the ADL about GW taking a week to make an announcement.)
The Hillel at GW states that it serves “more than 3,000 Jewish undergraduates and 1,500 Jewish graduate students” at the school.
Anti-Israel activists set up an encampment at the school in 2024. GW has suspended a Students for Justice in Palestine chapter and its Jewish Voice for Peace chapter, and the U.S. Justice Department has said that GW exhibited “deliberate indifference” to antisemitic incidents on campus that were “objectively offensive, severe and pervasive.”
