An Economic Professor at the University of South Carolina (USC), John Strauss, was barred from attending the varsity after he called for the death of Hamas terrorists on 9th November this year.
The 72-year-old Jewish Professor had condemned the actions of the Islamic terror outfit that led to the killing of 1400 Israeli civilians. On 9th November this year, he saw a large mob of pro-Palestinian students raising genocidal slogans such as ‘From the river to the sea’, ‘Destroy Israel’ and ‘Revoke funding to Israel’ on the campus.
Miffed by the demonisation of the only Jewish State in the Middle East, John Strauss responded, “Hamas are murderers. That’s all they are. Every one should be killed, and I hope they all are killed.”
.@USC is forcing tenured Prof John Strauss to teach his classes remotely for the rest of the semester after a doctored video circulated that made it seem like he had wished death on all Palestinians. In actuality, Strauss said, “Hamas are murderers. That’s all they are. Every one… pic.twitter.com/Lru9CpAUKw
— Canary Mission (@canarymission) November 22, 2023
One pro-Palestinian student scoffed, “Professor Strauss, shame on you.” The Jewish Professor replied, “No, shame on you…You people are ignorant, really ignorant.”
Pro-Palestinian students recorded it on camera and circulated an edited version of his remarks on social media. They vilified him as ‘racist and xenophobic’ and collected more than 6500 signatures in a week’s time to permanently oust Strauss from the campus.
The pro-Palestinian students also accused him of deliberately stepping on a paper containing the names of deceased Palestinians. On 10th November this year, the Jewish Professor was barred from entering the college campus and teaching undergraduate students.
"Hamas are murderers. That’s all they are. Every one should be killed and I hope they all are."
— Daniel Burnett (@Burnett18) November 21, 2023
These words caused @USC to force Prof. John Strauss from the classroom, to fully remote teaching.
Join @TheFIREorg in telling USC to allow him back on campus: https://t.co/WbRyreuyog pic.twitter.com/pEj1ifU74y
An associate dean informed John Strauss that he had been sent on ‘paid administrative leave’ after 19 years of service. The Jewish Professor was told that he could teach graduate students remotely via Zoom.
While speaking about the development, John Strauss clarified, “That’s what I heard (genocidal sloganeering) and I got angry. I am Jewish and very pro-Israel.
He also dismissed claims that he desecrated the names of Palestinians who died in the Israel-Hmaas war. The Jewish Professor emphasised, “The allegation was that I said, ‘Kill all Palestinians.’ I never said that and I never would say that. I said, ‘Kill all Hamas.’ That’s quite different.”
John Strauss continues to hold his ground despite being hounded by Muslim groups
The Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Los Angeles, Hussam Ayloush, called for a probe by the University of South Carolina against the Jewish Professor.
The Muslim Student Union of the University of South Carolina falsely claimed that Strauss called for the murder of the entirety of Palestine. “Such remarks are not only beyond the boundaries of academic discourse, but also dangerously incite violence and contribute to a hostile campus atmosphere,” it claimed in a statement.
The Jewish Professor received a barrage of hateful emails from pro-Palestinians. The University of South Carolina continues to bar him from entering the campus in the name of ‘protecting the safety of our community.’
In my view, USC has abandoned its duties to both Professor Strauss and free speech in taking these actions. The treatment of Strauss as a possible threat to students is unsupported and insulting… https://t.co/JhbKnJdwcO
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) November 21, 2023
In a statement, John Strauss clarified that he has no regrets about his statement on Hamas. “I did nothing wrong, and I’d probably do it the same way,” he was heard saying.
It must be mentioned that Hamas has been designated as a ‘Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO)’ by the US State Department since October 8, 1997. The ongoing Israel-Hamas war has triggered a vicious cycle of anti-semitism throughout the world, especially in the US ‘Ivy League’ colleges.
