Pro-Palestinian protesters defaced a statue of George Washington on the campus of George Washington University in Washington, D.C. on Monday.
The statue was draped with a Palestinian flag and covered in stickers, and a black and white scarf was wrapped around its neck.
The stickers read, “End the Genocide Free Palestine,” “The Students United Will Never Be Divided,” and “Anti-Fascist Action.” The statue’s face is covered by a pink sticker reading, “Rise Love Resist.”
“Genocidal Warmongering University,” was spray-painted on the base of the statue.
A second George Washington statue depicting the president riding a horse also appears to have been defaced during the protests.
“Free Gaza” was spray-painted on the base along with, “DC stands for liberation.”
Protesters have draped a Palestinian flag around a statue of George Washington on the GWU campus in DC.
“Genocidal Warmongering University” is written in paint on the base of the statue. pic.twitter.com/ks3H9HuRZl
— Virginia Allen (@Virginia_Allen5) April 29, 2024
Sent from @GWtweets: Protesters have defaced the statue of George Washington at the edge of campus. pic.twitter.com/tWW2LDJ8Py
— Zach Kessel (@zach_kessel) April 28, 2024
The pro-Palestinian protests began on Thursday and stretched into their sixth day on Tuesday.
Protesters have set up an encampment on the lawn of the university where the statue is located. The demonstrators pitched dozens of tents including food and medical tents. They also knocked down metal barricades put up by police and threw them into a large pile, sticking signs and Palestinian flags on top.
👀A quick tour of the pro-Palestine encampment on the campus of George Washington University in D.C. pic.twitter.com/rHrj1j5AG1
— Virginia Allen (@Virginia_Allen5) April 29, 2024
“This group of approximately 200 protesters from across the DMV, including professional organizers, activists, and university students, have joined the unauthorized encampment on our campus,” George Washington University said Sunday in a statement.
“This is an egregious violation of community trust and goes far beyond the boundaries of free expression and the right to protest. The university will use every avenue available to ensure those involved are held accountable for their actions,” the university said.
Final exams begin next week for the university, and graduation is scheduled for May 19.
Anti-Israel protests have roiled college campuses across the country over the last two weeks. In many cases, the protesters are calling on the schools to divest from investments that support Israel.
The protesters at George Washington University are also demanding the school lift a suspension against a pro-Palestinian student group.
Dozens of protesters have been arrested across multiple campuses, including at Northeastern University in Boston, Emerson College in Boston, Emory University in Atlanta, Virginia Tech University, University of Texas at Austin, and University of Mary Washington in Virginia.
The protests have been particularly tumultuous at Columbia University in New York City, although the tensions have been more between the students and Columbia’s administration.
Protesters at Columbia took over a building on Tuesday morning, prompting school administrators to threaten to expel them.