ITHACA, NY – Cornell Professor Russell Rickford ignited controversy after describing the Hamas Oct. 7 attack on Israel as “energizing” and “exhilarating” at an Oct. 15 rally. Rickford had previously labeled the Fraternal Order of Police a “terrorist organization” during a 2016 protest concerning the police shootings of two black men.
Cornell University publicly denounced Rickford’s remarks, calling them “reprehensible.” The university further clarified that such comments “do not speak for Cornell.” A day after reaffirming his initial comments, Rickford issued an apology via Cornell’s campus newspaper, stating he had meant to refer only to the “first few hours” of the attack.
This incident comes amid a wave of pro-Palestinian sentiment on U.S. college campuses. The University of Kansas Graduate Teaching Assistants’ Union, GTAC AFT local 6403, recently released a statement saying “Palestinians must be free” and expressing sympathy for violence against Israel. Student groups at Columbia University, Yale University, and George Washington University also issued pro-Palestinian statements following the terrorist attack. Numerous campuses hosted protests using slogans and imagery that advocated for violence against Israel.
Rickford’s statements and the subsequent university response have reignited debates about academic freedom and the limits of free speech on college campuses.