Israeli soldiers event sparks protest from campus activist group

Photo by Easton Clark, Photo Editor

Shouts of “fuck the IDF” and “Palestine will be free” filled the space between Oliphant Hall and Memorial Lawn on April 13. Across the way, in front of Irvine Lecture Hall, cops stood guard for an event held by Chapman’s Students Supporting Israel (SSI) which brought Israel Defense Force (IDF) soldiers to campus.

Chapman’s Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) was protesting SSI’s talk, having faced difficulties getting the protest approved by the Chapman administration. Attendees were quick to call out their concerns about the school picking sides.

“It’s very important that there is an equal amount of free speech that both organizations are allowed to do, and that the administration isn’t taking sides or favoring one side over the other,” freshman business administration major Blaise Bowers said. “We feel like we are not, as a group, able to hold our events equally to Students Supporting Israel, and that’s a bigger problem for us.”

A Palestinian flag hangs on the barricades of SJP’s protest event; Photo by Trinity Johnson, Photographer

Bower’s concerns were not a one-off. Sophomore writing for film and television major Iris Petrillo shared a similar sentiment, saying that SJP’s voices need to be heard by campus administration.

“We have a lot of say at this university. We’re all paying to be here,” Petrillo, an SJP executive member, said. “We’ve reached out to Jerry Price. (SJP set up) an email campaign with him saying that we don’t want IDF soldiers here, and he completely disregarded us.”

Chapman’s Director of Strategic Communications Bob Hitchcock gave a statement to The Panther, affirming Chapman’s support for free speech on campus in regards to the SSI event.

“The event Monday evening was organized by a recognized student group, Students Supporting Israel. Like all student organizations, they have the opportunity to invite speakers and host events in accordance with university policies,” he said. “Chapman supports free expression and open dialogue, even when topics are complex and controversial. Student organizations are permitted to host events that reflect a range of perspectives.”

Public Safety officers stand guard in Hashinger Hall; Photo by Trinity Johnson, Photographer

The event, moderated by SSI President Max Wiseman, was guarded by barricades and tens of Orange Police Department (OPD) and Chapman Public Safety officers for over two hours. Hitchcock said the police force was there because SSI and Public Safety had organized a safety plan for the event.

Protestors said that having IDF soldiers on campus created an unsafe feeling for many students.

“We view this as a massive form of disrespect to not only our organization, but to the Muslim and Arab students here who will feel unsafe with these people who have a confirmed, documented history of violence and murder against our people,” sophomore public relations, advertising and entertainment marketing major Nuha Hasan said.

Shortly after SSI’s event ended, attendees and members of the group made their way over to the protest area. At first, many kept their distance and only watched. One group walked by waving Israeli flags and filming the protestors.

Then, a man claiming to be a former IDF soldier — who was not one of the two soldiers on the panel — came over to the protest area with other people who had allegedly also been at the event. With cameras raised, they prompted multiple protestors with questions, claiming they only wanted to start a discourse with SJP members.

The alleged Israeli soldier is confronted by protestors; Photo by Easton Clark, Photo Editor

Former SSI president and Chapman alumni Eli Schechter was also in the group filming the protesters. Schechter has sued Chapman over claims that administration and campus support did not protect him from antisemitism by SJP. His lawyer also filed a complaint with the Department of Education that landed the University on a federal antisemitism watchlist.

Dean of Students Jerry Price and Associate Dean of Students, Chris Hutchison, also watched the events unfold from across the walkway.

After a few minutes of heated debate, Public Safety and OPD broke things up. Then, the protestors were told to disperse by their organizers.

Despite the hostility that followed the event, Bowers said communication remains a priority for the group.

“Maybe we have some different divergences within the issue, but we still are wanting to foster that communication within our group and outside of this group,” Bowers said. “We are all big believers in the idea of communication.”

Public Safety and OPD came over to the protest area after the SSI event ended; Photo by Easton Clark, Photo Editor

The event was originally called “Meet the Heroes,” but the day before the event, flyers were changed to “Holocaust Remembrance Event.” In response to this, Chapman’s Judaism on Our Own Terms (JOOOT) released a statement condemning the use of the Holocaust in the event promotion.

“SSI’s renaming of the event to shield itself from criticism of its event platforming war criminals by bringing up the Holocaust is an overused, tired and ineffective cover,” the statement read. “No one is falling for the excuse that anti-Zionism is antisemitism.”

Bowers also took issue with the event’s marketing.

“They’re unequivocally presenting soldiers carrying out a genocidal campaign as heroes, and I don’t think that should stand,” she said.

This clash between SJP and SSI is one in a long string of interactions between the groups over the past three years on Chapman’s campus as the university says it continues to maintain its commitment to freedom of speech for both groups.