Contractor Stays Focused Despite Palestinian Opposition
Contractor thoroughly covers anti-Semitic vandalism by protesters at Case Western Reserve University. Students attempt to stop work, but contractor sprays over them. Incident sparks controversy and legal actions threatened. College president apologizes and vows investigation. Protests continue with a pro-Israel message painted on the Spirit Wall. Campus tensions escalate with demands and refusals by the university.
By Jack Davis May 8, 2024 at 2:01pm
When a contractor was hired to cover up all of the anti-Semitic mess left behind by pro-Palestinian protesters, he did a very thorough job.
On Monday night, protesters painted a Palestinian flag and an assortment of slogans on the Advocacy and Spirit walls of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, according to Cleveland.com.
College President Eric Kaler said the messages were “threatening, intimidating and anti-Semitic” and hired a contractor to spray paint over them.
Early Tuesday, the contractor showed up to get the job done.
Students showed up to stop the work and brought along someone to video their heroic stand.
But instead of video showing work being brought to a halt, the video showed a contractor spraying the face-shield-wearing students as they stood against the wall.
Ameer Alkayali, 18, a Palestinian-American who attends the University of Cincinnati, said he was one of the students
Did this painter make the right move?
“I stood against the wall, and the painters asked, ‘Should we continue?’ The cops showed general confusion and didn’t tell them to stop,” he said. “So, as seen in the video, they continue to just paint right over us.
“They told us to not put our hands in front of the machine because it’s dangerous. And we put our hands up, and they still continued to paint on our hands and sprayed us with it,” he said.
Alkayali, who said he intends to sue the college administrators and college public safety department over the incident, said that the paint was still under his nails later Tuesday and that it did not come off of his skin for hours.
President Kaler indicated he was not amused by the incident, according to a statement posted on the college website.
“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,” he wrote.
“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,” he wrote, saying the college would investigate why campus police did not intervene.
@FrantzRantz – Bob: you need to get Case Western spray paint guy on your show. He is NEO’s new hero. And if they fire him or charge him with assault, we need to raise a buttload of money for him.
— Gary Gnu (@GaryGnuGoodGnew) May 8, 2024
As noted by Cleveland.com, the Spirit Wall was painted again Tuesday night, but this time, it was a pro-Israel message that read, “They call for intifada so we call them terrorists.”
On Tuesday, Kaler told protesters, he wanted them to disperse and said the college will not pull university assets from companies linked to Israel, according to Clevescene.
“Divestment — a key component of the protesters’ demands — is and remains something the university will not do,” he wrote in a letter to them.
An Important Message from Our Staff:
We who work here at The Western Journal have fought for years against Big Tech and the elites who want to shut us down and then shut America down.
Make no mistake — nothing will be the same after November 2024. Will you help us fight? Will you help us expose the America-hating elites who will do everything they can to steal this election?
We’re a small group of people fighting to save the country for our readers and for our own family and friends. Can we count on your help?
At this point, Big Tech has cut off our access to 90% of advertisers. Imagine if someone took 90% of your paycheck and there was nothing you could do. They’re trying to starve us out.
Donations from readers like you have literally helped keep our lights on, and we need you now more than ever.
We operate on a shoestring budget, but with that budget, we terrify the globalists. Please help us continue the fight. Stand with us, and we will never surrender.
Thank you for reading The Western Journal and for believing in America.
It is a pleasure to serve you.
P.S. Please don’t let the America-hating left win. Stand with us today!
" Conservative News Daily does not always share or support the views and opinions expressed here; they are just those of the writer."
