Peace at last; Photo Credits: Oliver Renick

It is 12:30 on the Arts Quad right now and it appears activities and tensions for the day are finally coming to an end.

After all of the previous events of the morning, the decision was made by IAJ members and other students willing to help to rearrange their black flags into a large peace symbol. The site is now the ground zero of a heated game of back and forth protest (some legitimate and some not) and it certainly shows, as one walks past ripped signs, beaten flags, and scraps of black fabric and sticks which are scattered throughout the scene.

The third police officer to show up to the scene informed Insider reporters that there is not much information at this point regarding the details of the original defacing, and that the Cornell Police will watch over the new flag display throughout the remainder of the day.

In light of the recent events, both parties representing the issue have been quite upset. In response to a Daily Sun quote by Shai Akabas ’09 saying that “[CIPAC (Cornell Israel Public Affairs Committee) and Cornell Hillel] are discussing what the response is going to be, but we haven’t officially planned anything yet,” Cornell Hillel president Jacob Shapiro ’10 said, “there is progress in developing a response. Right now, the concentration is condemning those responsible for today’s events. This is not ok.”

After getting calls this morning by Hillel members and IAJ leaders, Shapiro immediately came to the scene to inspect the disruption and immediately made it clear to those assisting in the repair that he “will help anyone that I can.” In regard to the final construction, he says, “I love peace. Any symbol of peace I will admire. I want to project that [the actions by the individuals overnight] is unacceptable from Hillel’s point of view. “

When asked what he would say to those who committed the act, he would tell them, “it’s just not kosher.”

Members of the IAJ did not comment on the situation at the site; Cornell Insider is still awaiting response.

I just ran into the ILR representative on the SA Rebecca Stein, one of the very few unabashed conservatives on campus and the Cornell Review’s biggest supporter on the Student Assembly.

She said she was “disgusted by the (original) flag display” continuing that the flags “celebrate the bombing of the only democracy in the Middle East”.

She said the SA likely would not get involved in the matter because nothing merited a resolution. However when told that the Dean of Students, Kent Hubbell ’69, helped fund the display her demeanor changed and stated she may look into passing a resolution that questions Hubbell’s actions.

For more on Kent Hubbell’s shenanigans check Jordan’s earlier post

Aerial view of the star; Photo credit: Oliver Renick

Gaza controversy continues, escalates as flags become giant Star of David

The early morning winds blowing across Cornell this Thursday brought not only a refreshing bite in the air, but also a whole new stage of our very own Israel-Palestine conflict which has been taking place in the Arts Quad this week.

Students who found themselves pulling all-nighters in Uris Library or out for a morning jog surely noticed the chilling rearrangement of the black flags which were previously lined along the walkways. Overnight, the black flags set up by the Islamic Alliance for Justice (IAJ) miraculously transformed into a giant Star of David, the Jewish emblem of faith.

The quoted signs were also strewn along the wet grass. Although the area experienced heavy winds throughout the early hours of the morning, it is evident that most of the signs were purposefully and forcefully removed from their anchors into the dirt. The perpetrators left one sign, as a message it appears, which states the sponsors of the original exhibit.

Those responsible for the change have not been identified, and given the stark contradiction between the two displays, it is reasonable to assume that the change was not approved by the committees which originally established the flag and sign protest.

If this is the case, there will surely be an inquiry as to whether this constitutes vandalism. Unlike the perpetrators who destroyed several signs earlier this week, this most recent protest did not involve any direct destruction of material or property, but rather the destruction of the message which the protest was originally intended to convey.

Police arriving at the scene around 8:30 a.m. said that an official report will be filed, and those guilty of the purported vandalism will face reprimands brought about by the Cornell Police or the student Judicial Administration

A lone flag lying outside Olin after being torn out of the ground; Photo Credit: Oliver Renick

Regardless of the identity of the architects of this act, it is apparent that they were not happy with the existing display, which has been labeled as ‘one-sided,’ and controversial, by some.

Although the supporters of the first display stand by their intention to inform students of the facts, many have argued that the signs were sympathetic to the terrorist organization Hamas and only advocated loss and mistreatment on one side of a very historically complex and multi-faceted situation.  On the other hand, the IAJ is adamant in their belief that there was no wrongdoing or partiality by a mere presentation of facts.

8:45 – Khullat Munir, leaving president of Islamic Alliance for Justice, appears at the scene, and, with the assistance of others, begins to bring awareness to the situation. Insider reporters were unable to receive comments at this time from those involved.

9:45- Munir, with the aid of other student helpers and a policeman, begin to put the signs back into place.

9:55- Another police car arrives on the scene and men begin to survey the area. The demonstration has been made very clear at this point, and one can see the curious looks on students’ faces as the quad begins to become more crowded.

10:20- Some students begin to reinforce the signs into the ground.

10:30- An unidentified student begins removing flags from the quad. Students from the cafe, most likely organizers of the original protest, rush outside to confront the student.

10:42- The Star of David display has been almost completely dismantled. At the moment, it is not clear what will be done with the black flags.

11:00- Those responsible for originally setting up the display are now rearranging the flags into some other shape…unclear at this point.

12:12- The flags have been arranged into a peace sign in front of Morrill Hall (JHF).

More developing soon as the Cornell Insider brings you more details.

For centuries, a single riddle has plagued mankind: who is thick enough to schedule a meeting and then not show up? On Thursday February 5, mankind received an answer to this question, the International Socialist Review. As I walked to Willard Straight Hall in the intense cold and fluctuating snowfall to view their latest lecture on the supposed failings of the capitalist system, I thought to myself, “Ok Joe, the one thing you do know is they will show up to their own meeting. My religious faith prevents me from believing there exist life forms so overwhelmingly absent-minded and disorganized as to not show up and not tell anyone about it. They will be there, and they will lie for two hours.” I repeated that thought over and over again, until I at last reached the Willard Straight Art Gallery 15 minutes before the scheduled start of the meeting.

To my surprise, no one was there. Oh well, I figured, it is snowing, they may be a bit late. Then came 7:30, and still no one appeared. My heart began to drop. 7:40 saw no movement. My soul began to die a painful death. 7:50-no sentient life forms. Beginning to hear voices. 8:00 rolls around. Red is blue, black is white, hello is goodbye, the Mets won the World Series, I begin to sweat profusely, hold a conversation with the bathroom door, and my faith in humanity is all but naught. Finally, I take action, and book it out of Willard Straight before my psychopathic urges consume me.
Part of me does not blame the Socialists though. If I was going to lie through my teeth about a false panacea to a bunch of hippies and clueless college students, I wouldn’t want to show up either. This event, though it answers one riddle, leaves us with another: If a group of people fails to do something as simple as attend their own meeting, who would trust them with something more serious?