NE Valley Times

Fountain Hills Councilman Allen Skillicorn calls out Arizona State University (ASU) administrators following a recent incident between supporters of Israel and Palestine.

"ASU administration and faculty are responsible for this chaos and these hate crimes.", said Allen Skillicorn.

Earlier this week, an incident occurred at ASU involving rocks being thrown at windows during a student government meeting discussing the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) bill. The "Students for Justice in Palestine" group has repeatedly tried to pass the bill, which aims to have the University cease all support for Israel. The incident prompted an investigation by the Arizona State University Police Department, and similar recent events have led some Jewish students to choose remote learning due to concerns about their safety on campus, according to Fox News.

Last month, Arizona lawmakers expressed disappointment in ASU after the ASU chapter of the National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP) organized rallies in support of Palestine and in favor of the Hamas attacks. One event took place at Tempe Beach Park, while similar events took place on other college campuses, including Butler University, University of Louisville, University of Birmingham, the University of Virginia, and more, organized by their respective NSJP chapters, according to Arizona Daily Independent.

Hamas initiated airstrikes on the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7. Many airstrikes targeted various parts of Israel including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. The resulting casualties have exceeded 10,000 since the Israel-Hamas conflict began. Among these victims were 31 American citizens with at least 13 still missing according to ABC.

"Arizona State University Police Department is investigating last night’s disruption of a USG meeting on the Tempe campus," said ASU President Michael Crow according to a post on platform X. "Let it be clear that ASU will not tolerate acts of intimidation or violence. We are committed to inclusion and respect and providing a safe environment for civil dialogue and learning."

"Heartbreaking," said Abe Hamadeh, who is running to represent the 8th legislative district of Arizona, according to the X platform. "Jews are under attack on their own campuses. How can we expect students to learn when they are in constant fear of their safety by RADICALS? ASU needs to aggressively go after the perpetrators and set an example. Hatred and antisemitism cannot be tolerated."