From the Liveblog of
Sunday, January 7, 2024
Ben-Gurion University to seek suspension over student’s ‘disturbing reaction’ to Oct. 7
Gavriel Fiske is a reporter at The Times of Israel
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev is to appeal a Thursday ruling by its own disciplinary committee against a student who posted on social media in the days after the October 7 Hamas assault, the university says, pursuing a harsher punishment.
The student’s identity and the exact details of the posting are confidential, but it was an “inappropriate and disturbing reaction to the massacre,” according to a university statement.
Found guilty during the Thursday ruling, the student was given a “severe reprimand and 40 hours of community service” and, although the student took down the post and sent a letter of apology, the university will appeal and request suspension, a university spokesperson tells the Times of Israel.
“Ben-Gurion University of the Negev’s administration strongly condemns the way the student addressed the October 7 massacre on social media. There is no room here for narratives or context – Hamas and its collaborators perpetrated murder and crimes against humanity. Any other way to present the events of that day is a lie and there is no room for the propagation of ‘fake news’ by anyone in the university community. The university will not tolerate any form of support for terrorism, the horrific murders of October 7, or racism, and will deal with any instances to the fullest,” the administration says in its statement.
Last week, eight students at the University of Haifa were suspended for allegedly praising the October 7 attack.
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