CLEVELAND — Tensions continue to mount at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland as the encampment by pro-Palestine demonstrators moves into its second week.
On Wednesday, CWRU President Eric Kaler announced that the university is investigating an incident involving protesters who were spray-painted upon by contractors in front of the "spirit wall" near Thwing Center.
"I have reviewed video footage, which depicts students blocking the wall as a third-party contractor spray painted directly onto protesters as he attempted to finish painting the wall, and I am disturbed by what occurred," Kaler wrote in a letter to the Case community.
CWRU's Students for Justice in Palestine posted video of the incident on its Instagram account.
Kaler says protesters first "painted an advocacy wall near Eldred Hall with language the university administration and many members of our community view as threatening, intimidating and antisemitic" on Tuesday. He added that later in the evening, the protesters painted the spirit wall "with language that was less threatening but still intimidating to some in our community."
According to Kaler, the university "will continue to fully investigate these actions and hold individuals responsible for this behavior, including the failure of our own officers to intervene."
"Let me be clear: No students — or any individuals — should ever be treated this way, especially on a campus where our core values center on providing a safe, welcoming environment. This is not who we are as an institution, and I am deeply sorry this ever occurred," Kaler added in his letter.
"I'm deeply disheartened and saddened that our administrators are willing to condone painting over a student to silence a message to silence an identity to silence expression," Jad Oglesby, a CWRU graduating senior and one of the protest organizers, said.
Raissa Rih-Reh, another Case student, told 3News, "We are here because we understand that asking our university to not be invested in a genocide is something very reasonable."
"The first days we were here was considered trespassing and the stakes haven't changed we understand the stakes but what we're advocating for is worth it for all of us," Rih-Reh added.
Meanwhile, Palestine Task Force Cle has announced that there will be a protest on Wednesday night at 6 p.m. at Wade Oval.
Also on Wednesday, Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb and Police Chief Annie Todd released a joint statement about the spray paint incident at Case Western Reserve University:
"In light of the recent video that surfaced from the CWRU campus, which displays individuals being painted over with spray paint, it is crucial that we express our stance unambiguously.
"Cleveland is a city for everyone, and we must respect the thoughts, feelings, and voices of those who come from various backgrounds. These diverse perspectives are what makes us special, and ultimately stronger, as a city. Our community deserves venues where they have the ability to constitutionally-express their opinions openly without fear of criminal interference.
"We support 1st Amendment rights and implore CWRU leadership to consider this and think about how the decisions they make and the actions they take – especially against those who are abiding by the law – will influence some of the progress we have collectively made as a city. At the same time, we urge individuals to demonstrate peacefully.
"We want to be clear in that we condemn all forms of violence and the Division of Police stands ready to offer support should that occur. Public safety has been and always will be our number one priority."
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