13wham.com Open in urlscan Pro
3.162.112.16  Public Scan

Form analysis
0 forms found in the DOM

Text Content

isAmp: yes

   
 * Privacy Policy
 * Cookie Policy


Close the sidebar

WEATHERWATCH

NY Democrat rips 'extremist' who helped organize Syracuse anti-Israel encampment
by JACKSON WALKER | The National Desk
Wednesday, May 15th 2024
6
View All Photos
A screenshot of a social media post shared by A.J. Ruther (TND) and Rep. Ritchie
Torres (D-NY) speaks during a news conference about fellow New York Congressman
Rep. George Santos (R-NY) on Capitol Hill July 17, 2023 in Washington, DC.
(Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (TND) —

Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., decried an organizer of Syracuse University’s Gaza
solidarity encampment Tuesday, saying their posts regarding Hamas and the war in
Gaza are indefensible.


ADVERTISEMENT


An encampment of over 70 tents has taken over Syracuse’s Quad in protest of the
school’s refusal to condemn Israel in its war with Hamas terrorists. Individuals
occupying the encampment have allegedly been witnessed “following Jewish
students that walk past the tent encampment in an attempt to harass them.” A
source told The National Desk (TND) Wednesday protesters are expected to take
the encampment down.


Read More

TND reported last week convicted killer Eural Warren was staying in the
encampment despite being unaffiliated with the university. Students expressed
concerns to the administration, leading to Warren’s arrest Friday. The incident
has led to outrage from several lawmakers.

Rep. Torres became the latest lawmaker to chime in, condemning Syracuse student
A.J. Ruther over their social media posts. A member of the school’s Democratic
Socialists of America (DSA), Ruther uses they/them pronouns and has been
actively involved in organizing the encampment according to their X profile “AJ
wants a Free Palestine.”

The profile, according to screenshots acquired by TND, reveals the depth of
Ruther’s pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel sentiment.

> Hamas is a brutal and evil terrorist organization that perpetrated the worst
> massacre of Jews since the Holocaust on October 7,” Rep. Torres told TND.
> “There is nothing pro-peace about supporting Hamas; it is an explicitly
> pro-war position.”

Ruther in May shared their pride after the encampment surpassed its fifth day,
screenshots show. In their post, they touted the work of students who made it a
“safe and militant space.”

Several reposts on Ruther’s page express sympathy for Hamas operations. One
picture reposted from account #AqsaFlood shows an illustration of a trolley with
an RPG aimed at it. Above the vehicle is the Hamas triangle, which it uses to
indicate Israeli targets for attack, according to the Middle East Media Research
Institute.

A%20screenshot%20of%20a%20social%20media%20post%20shared%20by%7B
%7DA.J.%20Ruther%20(TND)


Another repost captured via screenshot depicts a fictitious children’s book
comparing Zionists and Nazis. The image describes Zionism as a “antisemitic
death cult.” Ruther also reposted content reading “death to Israel death to
America,” screenshots show.


Elsewhere on the page, Ruther shared a flyer from the Popular Front for the
Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) reading “do you commend Hamas?” The image shows a
masked figure with a gun carrying a Palestinian flag, with the caption “the
PFLP’s best poster yet!”

> Any one who would openly support Hamas, such as the sharing of a post reading
> ‘The PFLP's best poster yet! ... Do You Commend Hamas?’, is pushing extremist
> rhetoric that celebrates the brutal slaughter of innocent Israeli civilians,”
> Rep. Torres told TND.

A%20screenshot%20of%20a%20social%20media%20post%20shared%20by%20A.J.%20Ruther%20(TND)


Ruther on Tuesday referred TND to the encampment’s media team when reached via
phone. They later declined to comment when asked about their stance toward
Hamas. Following that call, Ruther’s social media accounts became inaccessible
to the public.


On Wednesday, Ruther shared a lengthy statement with TND.

> My personal tweets reflect my own views and no one else's, " Ruther wrote. "I
> also never winessed [sic] any antisemtism [sic] by any member of the Syracuse
> University Gaza Solidarity Encampment, which was a beautiful community made up
> of people from all walks of life, including Jewish and Palestinian people
> organizing together for a common goal of peace and equality for all."

"Those who oppose the rise of Hamas should also oppose the role which this
Israeli government and the ongoing genocide have played in bolstering Hamas,"
they added. "I would also question whether Congressman Ritchie Torres’ comments
on my retweets come from a place of genuine concern for the safety of Jewish
people, or from a desire to spin a false narrative which benefits his Zionist
donors. Ritchie Torres has accepted $514,002 in campaign donations from AIPAC,
and a total of $1,571,087 from pro-Israel groups, from 2019-2024."

As a DSA leader, Ruther was involved in organizing the Syracuse encampment. An
April email sent by Ruther to “syracuse-justice-for-palestine” shows an urgent
request for participants to deliver tents and food, screenshots show.


A May email to that same group by Ruther issues an “emergency call to action” to
begin rallying outside the school’s Hendricks Chapel, which houses the school’s
Hillel. At a DSA meeting discussing the Middle East conflict, Ruther asked the
group to “not condemn violence as a form of resistance” when organizing campus
activities.

“It hasn’t been as effective as we would have hoped at ending occupation,”
Ruther said of peaceful protesting, according to audio from that meeting.

> The occupation and not Hamas is the source of all this misery,” that meeting’s
> agenda reads.

“In order to promote a better future for all Israelis and Palestinians, we must
move past this extremist and dangerous rhetoric and build bridges, not celebrate
terrorists,” Rep. Torres concluded.

ADVERTISEMENT


Follow Jackson Walker on X at @_jlwalker_ for the latest trending national news.
Have a news tip? Send it to jacwalker@sbgtv.com.

View This Story on Our Site
Load more...
 * © 2024 Sinclair, Inc.
 * Terms & Conditions
 * Copyright Notices
 * Privacy & Cookie Policy
 * FCC Info
 * FCC Applications
 * Contact
 * Public File Assistance
 * News Team
 * Contests
 * Diversity & Inclusion